Our Team
Director
Jane - Dance Studio Director
Jane’s passion for dance began at a young age, when she was teaching her younger sister and friends at school. Growing up in a family with dance deeply rooted in its history - her mother a ballroom dancer and teacher, and her sister a trained contemporary dancer - dance truly runs in Jane’s blood.
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Hailing from Ballarat, Jane’s early training took place at the Carole Oliver School of Ballet, where she developed a solid foundation in the art. She later pursued her tertiary studies at Dance Factory in Melbourne, where she earned a Diploma of Arts in Dance & Performance. This combination of formal training and early exposure to teaching helped Jane to discover her true calling: educating and inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Jane’s teaching career began in 2005 when she started working with schools across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Over the years, her passion for sharing the art of dance grew, and in 2008, she began teaching at Arts Theatre of Dance, where she would later spend 15 years nurturing young dancers.​
In late 2023, Jane took on the exciting challenge of becoming the owner and director of Arts Theatre of Dance. With her wealth of experience, strong ties to the dance community, and a deep commitment to her students’ growth, she is enthusiastic about leading the studio into the future. Jane is dedicated to maintaining the studio’s reputation for excellence while introducing fresh, innovative ideas to keep it thriving for years to come.
Our Teachers
Dance Instructor
Ataleya Dickie
Introducing Ataleya, a dedicated dancer and dance educator hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand. With extensive training in multiple styles and experience competing at the national level, she brings four years of teaching expertise in hip hop, jazz, ballet, contemporary and lyrical dance. Ataleya has successfully completed her NZ Hip Hop teaching papers and holds an IDTA Pre-Associate Ballet certificate. Now based on the Gold Coast, she has recently earned her Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) from Dynamite Studios and looks forward to sharing her passion for dance with her students.
Dance Instructor
Carissa Brant
Meet Carissa a talented performing artist from Christchurch, New Zealand. With two diplomas in Theatre and a Bachelor's Degree encompassing all three disciplines, she has a strong foundation in the performing arts. Carissa is excited to showcase her dancing skills in an upcoming feature film set to release in January 2025. Alongside her performance career, she has a keen interest in fitness and strength training, which she incorporates into her dance lessons to help her students improve their strength and technique. Her impressive experience includes portraying Cat Woman at Movie World Fright Nights and appearing in videos on television, solidifying her status as a remarkable figure in the arts scene.
Dance Instructor
Emily Lawrance
Growing up in a large dance school (studying jazz, tap, ballroom, calisthenics and contemporary dance), Emily became a dance teacher and choreographer at a young age. This passion for teaching led her to study her Bachelor of Education, becoming a primary school, then high school teacher. Whilst teaching, Emily successfully owned and operated her own dance studios in Lismore, Brisbane and in rural Queensland. Here, she taught a range of dance styles, Zumba and Glee (song and dance). Emily also applied her dance and singing skills in schools to choreograph for and teach school musicals, Rock Eisteddfods and more.
Emily loves to create nurturing, fun dance classes, with a focus on technique and strength. She looks forward to working with our next generation of lovely young dancers.