Miss Emma
Emma and the Wellington Dance team work to offer convenient class times, a family-friendly studio and appropriate classes for the needs of each age and stage.
Emma is a Registered Teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance and has completed the RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies, which included studying child development, fundamentals of ballet technique, functional anatomy and how to create safe dance environments. She also has a BCom (Hons) in Marketing & Finance from the University of Otago.
Miss Suzanne
Suzanne has over 30 years dance teaching experience and owned a very successful studio in Porirua for many years (Suzanne Denton Dance Academy, SDDANCE). She was selected as an examiner for the New Zealand Association of Modern Dance (NZAMD) and travelled throughout New Zealand examining and also adjudicating dance competitions. Many of Miss Suzanne's students have gone on to professional and teaching careers in dance.
Miss Georgia A.
Georgia a registered Royal Academy of Dance Teacher having completed the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies in 2020. She was a recipient of the Criena Gee Memorial Award in 2018 to assist with her studies. Georgia started dancing when she was three years old and has sat numerous major exams through the RAD and NZAMD syllabi and is a recipient of the NZAMD Licentiate in Dance Award (2011) having completed Solo Diplomas in Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary.
Georgia has been teaching at Wellington Dance for 10 years and loves passing on the joy and wonder of dance to students. Experience in teaching preschool ‘tiny dancers’ right through to some of our older students, she enjoys teaching different age groups and styles of dance (Ballet, Jazz , Lyrical and Contemporary). Georgia also has a Graduate Certificate in Commercial Law and a BCOM in Accounting & Tax from the Victoria University of Wellington (2016).
Miss Georgia H
Georgia is a Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Teacher, having completed her Certificate of Ballet Teaching studies in 2009.
Georgia has over 15 years experience in teaching ballet students from PreSchool age through to Advanced levels as well as competitive students & choreography.
Georgia successfully opened & operated her own Lower Hutt based Ballet Studio (GHDance) for nine years before she made the difficult decision to close its doors so she could focus more time on her young family. Since then, Georgia has continued to coach competition students & teach around the Wellington region.
Georgia thoroughly enjoys teaching ballet to students of all ages & abilities & loves celebrating their improvements & accomplishments alongside them.
Miss Ruth
Ruth Wall began dancing from the age of four. She trained under the umbrella of the RAD and in her final year of High School, successfully auditioned for the New Zealand School of Dance. Upon graduating from the NZSD, she was offered a full-time position with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, initially as part of the Corps de Ballet and then after 12 months, to a Soloist position and Principal understudy, followed shortly after, with the offer of a Principal’s contract. She had by that stage however, made the decision to resign and to travel.
During her time overseas, Ruth took the opportunity to further her knowledge, skills and experience. This included becoming involved in the Health and Fitness industry where she became Centre Manager for Les Mills World of Fitness in Sydney. She has been a dancer on a cruise liner and involved in television, film and photographic work. Upon her return to NZ, she was offered the Centre Manager position at Les Mills, Wellington. She remained in this position until her first child was 12 months old.
Ruth continued to teach the fitness classes on a part-time basis, at Les Mills until deciding to study and train for her RAD CBTS teaching qualification. She has been teaching the RAD syllabi to students aged, pre-school to 18 years.
Miss Anita
Anita Hutchins is a freelance dancer, teacher, choreographer, adjudicator, and creator of dance art. She is involved in the Wellington freelance contemporary dance scene. She dances with Java Dance – Metamorphosis Artists, and collaborates with guitarist Jake Church making art installation projects. Anita & Jake performed their first work Scrùbi at the 2021 What If The City Was A Theatre festival.
Anita trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and was a member of the Bayerisches Staatsballett Munchen, Netherlands Dans Theater II, The Royal New Zealand Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre. In 2006 she won the NZ version of So You Think You Can Dance. Since returning to New Zealand she completed a BA majoring in Philosophy at VUW, has taught dance for 11 years, worked extensively with with choreographer Chris Jannides continuing his BodymAPP research on improvisational techniques, choreographed several shows, and became a mum.
Miss Anna
Miss Anna's dance training began at age 2 and she has trained in every style of dance, and as a competitive dancer. Anna has completed her NZAMD solo diploma for both Jazz and Contemporary and has received NZAMD scholarship nominations for Jazz. In 2023 Anna moved to Sydney to train in the full time performing arts course at Brent street, and received a diploma in performing arts. In this time she has done various coporate, and stage performances. Anna is also studying at VUW doing a BA in educational psychology , and criminology.
Anna has always had a passion for teaching and hopes her diverse education can inspire her students to achieve their dance dreams. Anna has been a teaching assistant and Assistant Teacher at WDA for over five years, receiving mentorship and teacher training from Royal Academy of Dance examiners Paula Hunt & Helen Calman.
Miss Ella
Ella began dancing at the age of three years old. She has had experience in almost every style of dance. Ella has completed solo seal in both contemporary and Jazz NZAMD courses and received nominations for both the jazz and contemporary for two years. She has also completed RAD ballet advanced two with distinction.
She also grew up competing as a soloist and has attended PACANZ for her solo’s. In recent years Ella was also apart of momentum productions, a dance company in Auckland and performed in their show ‘chromatic’. Ella was accepted to study at Brent street but declined the offer following covid and is now studying law at VUW.
Miss Sophie
BHSc (Phty), NZRP, Cred. MDT, Nat. Dip. Dance, Pilates Instructor, Certified PBT
Sophie Ryan is an ex-professional dancer, now dance physiotherapist and dance conditioning teacher, with a strong focus on safe dance practice. A graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance, she performed professionally with Black Grace Dance Company. While training and working as a physiotherapist, Sophie taught advanced open classical technique, pointe and dance conditioning at Auckland Academy of Dance for eight years. Sophie moved to Wellington in early 2016 and began teaching at Wellington Dance Academy later that year. Sophie completed her Pilates apprenticeship in Auckland at Dance Pilates, the creators of Movitae, and taught there for four years. She then completed her Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) certification in Australia in 2017. Sophie's Dance Conditioning classes are a blend of dance-specific mat Pilates, balance and alignment work as well as PBT. Sophie's Pre Pointe and Pointe Foundation classes incorporate education as well as pre pointe or pointe specific exercises.
Dance-Specific Physiotherapy
Sophie is also our preferred dance physiotherapist. Sophie graduated with a Bachelor in Health Science ,majoring in Physiotherapy, from AUT in 2012. Since then, she has treated many dance students as well as professionals, including dancers from the New Zealand Dance Company, Footnote, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Opera Australia, the Ballet Collective Aotearoa and freelance professionals. She is currently the dance conditioning tutor, and part of the Health Professional team, for the New Zealand School of Dance. Sophie works as a dance physiotherapist in central Wellington. If you would like to enquire about an appointment, please email sophieryanphysio@gmail.com
Miss Ciara
Ciara has been a dance teacher for 4 years. Originally from Christchurch, she has been in Wellington for a year and loves it! Her background includes Jazz and Irish dancing originally with some touches on contemporary but hip hop is now her passion! Ciara’s favourite achievements and experiences through dance include travelling to Mexico in 2018 for an international competition called Dancers Paradise and also being a part of The Spotlight 9 dance show in 2020.
Ciara loves watching all her students grow and achieve their goals and is excited to see what this year brings for Hip hop at WDA!
Mr Zak
Zak has been a Hip Hop dance teacher for 5 years now and has been creating dance sets together for national and international dance competitions for 4 of those years. Zak has moved from his hometown Christchurch to Wellington at the end of 2019 and has been apart of many events/shows whilst living here including, “Spotlight 2019 & 2020” which is a prestigious dance show in the NZ hip hop community. “He Tangata” which was a show performed at the BATS theatre, it explored whakapapa and the stories of takatapui existence.
Zak is very excited for what this year has to bring with even more hip hop classes and 2 brand new competitive crews! Bring on 2023!
Miss Manaia
Manaia is the owner of the recently closed 'The Compound Dance Studio' in Christchurch and has been dancing for 14 years. She began her training in all styles of dance but eventually realised her potential in the Hip Hop style. She has performed and choreographed for many different dance studios and crews around New Zealand, and competed in major Hip Hop competitions in Australia, The Netherlands and America. She has also danced with and for world renowned dancers and choreographers such as, Kiel Tutin, Todd Williamson, Lance Savali and more.
Manaia has always loved sharing and exchanging her love and passion of dance to empower people and help them on their journey. Manaia has recently moved to Wellington to complete her Bachelor of Laws at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and is excited to begin her journey at Wellington Dance.
Miss Gabby
Gabby was born and spent the last 17 years of her life in Melbourne Australia. She started training in calisthenics from 4 years of age and then began dancing from 9 years old. Gabby was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Melbourne, Australia at the age of 12. She began her part time dance training here. The program heavily focused on ballet but she was also highly trained in contemporary, jazz, tap, acro, musical theatre, character dance and repertoire. During year 11 Gabby received the Jonathan Taylor Choreographic Award for her 2 VCE composition dance solos and her piece ‘Safe Haven’ which was performed by 5 dancers in the VCASS year 11 Creative Season in 2022.
Gabby began her teaching journey at TDC The Dance Company in Spotswood Melbourne in 2022. Here she assisted industry teachers in styles such as ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, musical theatre, tap and competition prep. From week to week she would run her own classes for 2-4 year old ballet and jazz at TDC. Gabby taught pre-primary, primary and grade 1 RAD ballet at TDC.
Gabby was then accepted into the New Zealand School of Dance as a contemporary major, and has just begun her first year of study in 2023. Gabby has an immense passion for dance, and can’t wait to share it with the students at Wellington Dance Academy.
