Meet the Team...
Principal/OwnerMiss Marie's passion lies in dance. She excels in a range of genres in both performance and teaching and her love of dance has enabled her to perform and teach around the world.
Miss Marie, originally from Scotland, started her dancing at a very young age, just like our tiny tots, and loved to twirl, pose and fly around like a fairy. This energy and love never left her and she went on to study dance full time in the UK, gaining a BA (Hons) in Dance. Throughout her intense training she studied Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Modern, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Cheer, Commercial, Flamenco, Irish, Highland, and National alongside injury prevention, pilates, anatomy and child development in dance. |
Miss Marie lived every dancers dream after receiving her first professional dance contract at the age of 19 performing in Disneyland Resort, Paris. There she specialised in bungee in the daily parades. After leaving Disney she danced professionally for many years around the world performing in a variety of Broadway style productions, tours, festivals and events including the London 2012 Olympics. Miss Marie is an experienced choreographer who has worked alongside some prestigious names worldwide, bringing her teaching style and love of dance to countless students. She has had a wonderful experience running her own successful dance school in the UK before moving to Australia in 2015. |
Emily began teaching with Island Dance in 2016 and is a a well respected member of our team. Her bubbly, energetic personality fills the studio and is contagious in all her classes.
Miss Emily began her dancing life at the same age as many of our Tots and hit the stage at the tiny age of 3! Studying under the BBO and ATOD syllabi, she completed her vocational training in an array of genres before continuing her formal studies at The Australian Institute of Performing Arts. From there she moved to Sydney to study at Brent Street achieving her Certificates in Performing Arts. She has been teaching for many years in both a dance and educational setting. Throughout her time with Island Dance she has also completed her qualifications with Acrobatic Arts and is always learning new skills and furthering her professional studies. She is well loved and respected by all students, teaching a variety of genres within the school. Filled with enthusiasm, her classes are always fun and enjoyable with a strong focus on technique and performance. I am really looking forward to working alongside Miss Emily again and excited for what 2024 holds. |
Miss A has been with Island Dance since we first started and after a short break from teaching to enjoy being Mummy to her two little cherubs she is excited to be returning for 2024.
Miss A now delivers a variety of genres. She loves being a positive role model for our young dancers and sharing her wonderful choreography skills with our students. Miss A has a strong love for dance and like many of our students started dancing at the age of 3. She is certified with Acrobatic Arts and has studied an array of genres throughout her dancing life. Miss A has experienced dancing in Melbourne with Jason Coleman at The Ministry of Dance and has been involved in many galas, flashmobs and eisteddfods. Her passion for dance along with her friendly smile and caring personality makes her a fabulous teacher who is adored by all of the students from all ages. |
Miss Kirsty manages all tap classes from children to adults!
Starting dancing at the age of many of our young tots, Miss Kirsty studied a variety of dance genres in Melbourne. Her professional training lead onto her completing her Teaching Diplomas with the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing in Tap, Theatrical and Jazz Genres. Miss Kirsty has a wealth of dancing experience, performing in numerous concerts, floorshows and many public events. As an honours grade tap dancer, this is where Miss Kirsty's passion lies. She particularly enjoys creating sequences with intricate timing and wonderful patterns for our dancers to enjoy. She is looking forward to be working with our tap students both children and adults. As a previous successful studio owner in Melbourne, Miss Kirsty has had fantastic experience creating and leading classes for all genres and ages, along with devising exciting concerts and fulfilling her life long dream and passion for dance. Her teaching beliefs are that with the right direction and encouragement, anyone can learn the art of dance, rhythm and develop their coordination skills. I am really excited to have Miss Kirsty back with our tappers this year and looking forward to working alongside her again as she shares her skills and experience with the Island Dance students. |
Originally from Holland, Miss Shree moved to Australia at a young age where she developed her musical skills specialising in playing Cello. As a member of the Cairns Symphony Orchestra, Miss Shree performed in many orchestral events throughout Northern Queensland.
Continuing her musical passion she moved to Sydney and studied singing, piano and music theory becoming a qualified and registered teacher with the Australian Music Examination Board. Throughout her career, Miss Shree has performed in a wide range of events, directed and delivered a variety of musical theatre productions and has even released her own CD. Miss Shree is also running Island Musicworx here on Bribie for students looking at furthering their singing and piano skills with private tuition. We are thrilled to have her here at Island Dance delivering our Musical Theatre programme and looking forward to sharing what we have in store for students this year! |
After joining us in 2023 to deliver some lessons and choreograph for our concert, I am thrilled to officially welcome Miss Julie to our teaching team for 2024.
Miss Julie grew up dancing from the age of 3 and began her teaching journey at 15. She has experience in a vast range of genres from Classical Ballet, Tap to Highland and Latin American. Miss Julie performed in many shopping centre shows throughout the 80s, as has danced in cabaret & musical theatre productions throughout her performing career. Alongside performing and teaching she has produced and choreographed shows for shopping centres, corporate events, the Ekka, charity events, theme parks and more. As a previous very successful studio owner, Miss Julie also ran a successful Performing Arts Competition for 10 years, with many of her students receiving outstanding results in both examinations and competitions. With a passion for Dance, Miss Julie is excited to continue her teaching journey sharing her expertise and knowledge with the Island Dance students. I am so pleased to be welcoming back Miss Charntel to the Island Dance Teaching Team for 2024.
Starting dance at a very young age, Miss Charntel has loved learning new skills and styles: including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Ballroom. She has had experience in a variety of genres and has competed in multiple competitions and performances from eisteddfods at the Sunshine Coast to Sydney Nationals in 2019 where she received 3rd place. Miss Charntel previously performed in Disneyland, USA and attended multiple dance workshops with leading professional choreographers. She has completed her Certificate 3 in Dance and as a previous student of Island Dance she is an inspiration to many of our younger dancers and is excited to be passing on her love of dance with our students again this year. Bio coming soon
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I am pleased to be welcoming back the lovely Miss Sophie to the Island Dance Teaching Team this year after becoming a Mummy to her gorgeous daughter.
Miss sophie has been dancing for many years and has a variety of experiences both as a performer and choreographer and has competed in competitions and eisteddfods from the Sunshine Coast all the way to USA. Upon becoming National Champion in Melbourne in 2019 she then travelled to Texas, USA and was awarded 2nd place in both Lyrical and Pom. After completing her Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management she has experience in a multiple of genres including; Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical and Pom. Her vibrant approach to teaching has led her to working with junior and senior groups and she is so excited to be sharing her passion the with the Island Dancers this year. Bio coming soon
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