2024 Faculty
Introducing our 2024 Faculty
Studio Manager – Tamara Bonello. Ever smiling, ever helpful, our beautiful Tamara can help you with any questions regarding fees, payment plans and uniforms. She is at the studio Tuesday & Thursday afternoons 3.30pm to 5pm, Saturdays 9am til midday.
Butterfly Ballet – Amy Mc Elhinney. Miss Amy is one in a trillion. Kind, organised loads of fun yet can discipline our dancers in the GAD tradition imparting the love of ballet with a nice blend of ballet etiquette.
Tap – Rachel Accatino. Tap students need to be able to listen. Everything about tap is loud, so the dancers need to work with the teacher. Miss Rachel can produce some incredible tappers, if they can listen, she can certainly teach tap VERY well.
Tumbling – Sherene Coyle. This lovely young lady moved to our shire last year. Sherene has many years of experience as a dance teacher, with her specialty being “Tumbling”.
Tiniest Twinkles – Lisa Patterson. Lisa is a school teacher who has danced & performed throughout her childhood into her adult years. A natural with children, she has a soft manner and can also run a well-behaved classroom.
Exam Ballet – Jorja Zamora. We are hoping to hold our ballet exam session at the end of this term. To do so, Jorja is going to bring her years of ballet exam experience into our Tuesday afternoon ballet classes.
Hip Hop – Zoe Borgelt. In 2022, Zoe stepped into the role of our hip-hop teacher, at 16 her ability to do is remarkable. Her hip-hoppers are in for a fun, theatrical, funky first term in her very capable pop-locking hands.
Silks – Alexis Onaindia. If ever there was a naturally talented dancer, it was Alexis. So it was no surprise how well she has mastered the beautiful genre of Silks. Lexie (as we call her) will helm the silks component of our school this year and is not only able to break down the intricate fundamentals, she is also incredible at displaying each drop, pose, and element. We also have two amazing young teachers who assist Lexie, Amira Braun & Jade Pedley who are passionate about Aerial silk work and are diligent with applying safety first when teaching all the wraps and grips.
Lyra – Abi Westerhuis & Tayla O’Brien are our resident Lyra teachers. Both passionate and diligent young instructors who have worked hard to become incredible Lyra performers themselves and love nothing more than to share their knowledge with their students. 2024 will see them both compete for the first time and work with other keen Lyra students as they venture into the Aerial Comp World.
Studio Owner – Karen Vick. This year marks GAD’s 25th year at our riverside studio, which has seen hundreds of children and adults pass in and out of its doors. Having a staff like the ladies listed above, all of whom like me love all things dance – from the class work to the stage work to the teamwork – makes entering our studio’s 25th year very exciting for me as principal and now presents endless possibilities for our students in their 2024 dance year.
Click here to view GAD’s 2024 term 1 timetable
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Amy Mc Elhinney. My daughter Ava has been dancing at GAD since she was two-and-a-half years old. Even from a young age she has loved attending the classes and idolizes her dedicated teachers and student teachers. As a former dancer myself, I had always hoped my daughter would inherit my love of dance so she had the opportunity to become part of a ‘dance family’, where true friendships are made and lifelong skills are developed. Karen and her team are incredible, and I am confident GAD can provide this and more for her.
The new Twinkle Star Dance Program is perfect for young dancers. The age-appropriate props means she is forever talking about dancing with her pony and using hula-hoops, among other things. The smile on her face after each lesson is priceless. I could not recommend GAD more highly to those who also have an aspiring young dancer.
Footnote: Amy (above) is not only an incredible Dance Mum, she also is our resident Twinkle Star Ballet teacher. Being a primary school teacher herself, Amy is a firm hit with the children and parents alike. Her sunny deposition wins us all over, and her warmth exudes from within. She is the perfect mentor for our tiniest dancers.
