SEASON THREE

Claudia Dean is a former dancer of The Royal Ballet. She trained at The Royal Ballet School and graduated into the Royal Ballet Company in 2010, as one of only 6 Australian dancers to achieve this honour. During her time with the Royal Ballet she performed in a number of productions. Claudia made her Principal role debut with the Royal Ballet Company in 2013.
After 4 years she decided it was time to head home to Australia and she retired from professional dancing.
Claudia, however still had a passion and love for the art and so launched
her private ballet coaching business in January 2015.
Claudia is well renowned for her private ballet coaching & worldwide ‘Class with Claudia’ Intensive Tours. She also created her luxury dancewear brand, Collections by Claudia, in 2017.
Claudia has also launched an online coaching platform for dancers called Coach Me where there are over 150 skill changing KEY exercises, to transform your technique, strength, flexibility and confidence. 

Kim Gingras is a  professional dancer, public speaker and passionate educator. Her dancing training may not have started until she was 15, but once she entered a studio she never looked back. Winning a gold medal at the world hip hop championships was just the beginning. Being selected for SYTYCD Canada Season 2 led to her creating some lifelong connections within the industry and gave her the courage to head over to the bright lights of LA.
Throughout her time in LA Kim danced for a range of incredible music artists including; Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, The Backstreet Boys, N Sync, Madonna, Nicole Scherzinger, Pharrell Williams, Nick Jonas, Pitbull, Xtina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, John Mayer, Chris Brown, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Jason Derulo, 50 Cent, Ne-Yo, Karol G, Jamie Foxx, Hilary Duff, Boyz II Men and more.

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Daniel Wijngaarden is an incredible young dancer who is definitely making his mark on the professional dancing world.
He began his training at 6 with all styles of dance. Daniel attended Newtown Performing Arts High School before heading to TNSPA to complete his full time training.
Upon graduating he was cast in the international touring production of West Side Story. Daniel then went on to appear in Opera Australia’s La Traviata.
Daniel is signed with Jeep management and working both as a professional dancer and choreographer.

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Leslie was born in Tennessee, into a musical family. She moved to Sydney from New York City in 2000 leaving behind an extensive Broadway career spanning nine Broadway musicals, and five National touring Broadway productions.
She was last seen on Broadway in the Tony award winning musical “Chicago” where she played “Mona” featured in the show stopping Cell Block Tango. She has had the privilege of working for many award-winning choreographers including Susan Stroman, Rob Marshall, Randy Skinner and Jerome Robbins.
In addition to theatre, she has worked in film and television and can be seen in the new feature film, Anything but Love just released in America. Since moving to Australia, she has worked in commercials, television, and stage. She recently appeared in the Australian production of Pippin.
Leslie is mum to three children and continues to share her love of dance through performing and teaching.

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Lilly Jackson (Lilly Jay) is a young dancer who is making her mark in the performing arts industry. Lilly trained at Newtown Performing Arts High School and Brent Street. She also completed her full-time dance training at Brent Street. 
Lilly experienced her first breakthrough role in Stephen Tannos’ We are Dance Project.You can also find Lilly in Guy Sebastian’s ‘Choir’ and ‘Love on Display’ music videos, choreographed by Alex Miedinski.
Most recently she has worked professionally in Dream Dance Company's ICON, choreographed by Paris Cavanagh and is looking forward to travelling this show around Australia.
With her proven background in Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, Tap and Ballet she has already begun making her mark on the dance industry.

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Joshua Arkey is a Dancer, Singer, Actor, Acrobat and Aerialist from Sydney, Australia. He is a graduate from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where he has received his Bachelor of Arts (Dance) and Certificate IV in Music Theatre. Since the age of 3 years old, Josh has trained in many styles and genres including music theatre, classical ballet, singing, character, pas de deux, jazz, tap, conditioning, acrobatics and aerial circus. At the age of 8 years old, Joshua was cast in the World premiere of Tony Award winning musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. He has performed around the world on cruise ships including the Disney Cruise Ship Line where he enjoyed playing Tarzan.

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Deirdre Barnes is a dancer and choreographer from Ottawa Canada. From a young age she showed incredible talent and dedication to dance. Her passion led to an incredible amount of awards as a competitive dancer Including; Dancer of the Year, Miss Teen Candance, 2007 Starpower’s Dancer of the Year Scholarship, Miss Starpower and Miss Capezio. Deirdre booked her first job at 18 at cirque du soleil in Las Vegas as part of the Criss Angel believe show and never looked back. She then went on to take the stage with a range of artists including; Nicki Minaj, Nick Jonas, Gwen Stefani, Backstreet Boys, Pitbull, J Lo and Gloria Estefan. Deirdre toured the globe alongside Empire of the Sun and Justin Bieber and even did a 2-year Vegas residency alongside Britney Spears. She has also worked extensively in film and TV. Deirdre has been featured on Dancing With The Stars, Disney: Descendants, the Ellen Show, Glee, Shake it Up, The Voice, Black Eyed Peas, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and multiple award shows. She is now making the journey into choreography and recently choreographed for her first feature length film. 

Stephen Perez is one of Australia’s most exciting and dynamic male performers! Stephen has been dancing and acting since he was just 7 years old. He completed his full time training at Brent Street. From there Stephen appeared in Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Some of his early career highlights include; a role in the group of core dancers for Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby, performing with Taylor Swift at the ARIA’s under the direction of ‘The Squared Division’ and performing with Kylie Minogue and Sam Sparrow at the Sydney Mardi Gras. In 2013 Stephen was also cast in Carmen, The Opera staged on Sydney Harbour and choreographed by industry legend Kelley Abbey. Stephen has also performed with Artists such as Marcia Hines, Ricki-Lee and Angus and Julia Stone and been featured on television’s X Factor and Australian Idol. He recently landed the dream gig of performing with Katy Perry throughout her Las Vegas residency. 

Caroline Liviakis has always held a clear vision for herself in dance: that of a creator. She brings large-scale productions to life: blending dance with film; mixing concert and commercial styles.

She began her journey as the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Caroline Liviakis Dance Company (CLDC), choreographing and producing live performances and interactive experiences. Now she brings her creative visions to digital form as a choreographer and director of film, music videos, and commercials.

Caroline is currently in pre-production for her debut feature-length film: Lessons In Love. She has also written two other feature-length, dance-musical scripts: Alternative Chick and Welcome To My Runway.

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Through a diverse career spanning almost her entire life, Greta has refined her skills as a vocalist, dancer, actress, acrobat, director, choreographer, adjudicator, examiner and as an educator, allowing the experiences through her own career to compliment her coaching. Greta has worked throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the USA both performing, coaching and adjudicating. After working as a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher Greta decided to take her passion for acrobatics and share it with others. In 2020 she released her acrobatic exam syllabus ACROLINK by Greta Brinsley presented by IDT (The International Dance Technique). With a Certificate 4 in Dance and Performance, Advanced Dip in Music Theatre, The Acrobatic Dance Association Teachers Certification and a Certificate 4 in Dance Teaching and Management, Greta’s dedication to excellence has ensured Greta is a sought after coach for acrobatics and dance, repeatedly and competitively setting the industry standard for her profession.

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Kiana De Van Der Schueren trained from a young age at Dance Force studio. She completed 3 Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship contracts before landing her dream job. Kiana secured a job performing with Cirque Du Solei in their Las Vegas Residency. When covid forced the closure of the show Kiana found herself back in Australia. As luck would have it she managed to land a role in Magic Mike Australia and performed with them until she got the word that Cirque would be reopening. Kiana continues to live in Las Vegs and enjoy her run in this iconic show. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. There have been moments of; self doubt, home sickness, questioning her body shape and ability. Kiana credits her support system with helping her get through these tough times. She now focuses on living in the moment and trying to be present.

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Simone Barry (Doulaveras) started her dancing at just three years old. She grew up with a strong focus on ballet in her training. 

Simone completed her full time training at Brent Street. When she completed that course though Simone realised how difficult it was to find work as a dancer. Her fear of auditions was the first big hurdle she had to overcome. Simone’s first professional job was working with Encore productions around Sydney where she learnt the ropes of Professional Dancing. She then headed to India to perform in Bollywood movies. A contract in Las Vegas followed. After that Simone completed more corporate gigs in Australia before heading over to Germany where she danced for 3 contracts before deciding to hang up her dancing shoes in search of a family. Having felt the benefits of pilates training whilst she was a dancer, Simone decided to embark on a career sharing that passion with others. After completing a range of certifications she opened her own Pilates studio Loft Barre and Pilates. 

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Kyra Dooley is a proud young Australian of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who is embarking on a career as a Professional Dancer. From 5 years of age she trained at Dance Force Dance Studio. She also completed her Full Time training at Dance Force. After completing the first year of Marko Panzic’s Dream Creative at seventeen, she went on to win the Get the Beat Senior Protégé section and subsequently a scholarship to Panzic’s Dream Show Business. Kyra then went onto assist on the Dream Creative Junior and Senior divisions as well as going on the Dream Experience Tour alongside Michael Dameski in 2019. At 18 years of age she signed to Jeep Management Agency.

In 2020 she was announced as the Energetiks x VDF Ambassador of the Year. Kyra has also appeared in Guy Sebastian’s Choir music video. Most recently she celebrated one of the highlights of her young career when she was cast in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.

Kyra continues to train and work hard to make her performance dreams come true. 

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Lucy Ellis grew up in a musical theatre loving household in Adelaide. She started her dance training at 7 years of age. She continued to train and perform in musical theatre roles before heading to Scotch College Adelaide on a Performing Arts scholarship.Upon graduating, Lucy attended Dance World Studios in Melbourne to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Musical Theatre & Dance. Lucy then fell in love with coaching and teaching. This led her to begin Lucy Ellis Dance Coaching. She now travels all over the world training students in dance technique and performance. Lucy’s dance workshop program, which includes stretching, conditioning, technique and jazz combinations, has been presented in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the United Kingdom to thousands of dancers.Lucy is the co-owner of the dance technique syllabus, International Dance Technique, which has recently launched and is already used by over 100 studios worldwide. Lucy’s production company Lucy-Rose Creates has produced three published dance books: Skillz Practice Guide, Goalz Dance Journal and Lucy’s Dancing Dreamz. She has also recently created a

touring children’s show and pre school program. 

Bec Condino is fast becoming one of Sydney’s up and coming teachers and choreographers, making her mark in the industry through her dynamic style of choreography. She completed her Bachelor of Dance Education at the Australian College of Physical Education before achieving her Certificate IV in Performing Arts at Brent St. Bec also travelled internationally to New Zealand to train under Paris Goebel and America, where she sought training from some of the leading industry professionals across the globe. Some of Bec’s choreographic credits include Schools Spectacular, Australian Dance Festival N.E.X.T Choreographer, Hoyts, Westfield, Cancer Council, LOcREaDO Dance Company, Dance Dr. Company and more. Most recently, Bec has established and founded BCCAP – a contemporary arts program designed to train, nurture and educate dancers seeking to amplify their knowledge and skills in the style of contemporary dance.

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Ali Phillips is an established and experienced Dance Business Coach who began her entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 17. A passionate dancer at heart, Ali founded BAMDance - an inclusive dance organisation running classes for people with disabilities which now operates in Brisbane Australia & Toronto Canada. Now 30 years of age, Ali has spent the past 13 years turning her passion into profit, fearlessly implementing innovative ideas, and coaching others to also, live their dreams.

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Jason Coleman is a legend of Australian Dance. He is a; professional dancer, choreographer, studio owner, agency owner, director, producer and presenter. Jason began dancing at the age of four. At 12 he won a scholarship to the Victorian College of Arts Secondary School in Melbourne. At 16 he attended the Australian Ballet School. This then led to an audition with David Atkins that changed his life. He has sung and danced in 18 Broadway musicals, performed in 27 countries, worked in film and television, and choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games. Jason is also well known for his judging role on the television show So You Think You Can Dance Australia. This experience inspired Jason to open his own dance studio Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance in Melbourne. The studio has grown and developed into a massive space that provides lessons for all ages. This includes an incredible full time course.

Rhonda Malkin started ballet when she was 4, tap when she was 6 and then joined in the jazz class at 8. By ten she was in the performing troupes at her studio. While attending UCLA as a sociology major, Rhonda performed as a Los Angeles Laker Girl for three years and received a championship ring for the 2000 inaugural season at Staples Center with the Lakers. She was a Radio City Music Hall Rockette for 12 years and a Rockette Swing (memorizing all 36 Rockette dance tracks) for seven of those years.After 25 years of dancing professionally Rhonda made the move into personal training and dance coaching. Since then she has had 59 dancers become Rockettes (most of any dance coach in history), and many others who are currently working on Broadway, national tours, music videos, TV shows, cruise ships, NBA and NFL professional dance teams, regional theater/summer stock productions, Disney, theme parks, and Cirque du Soleil, to name a few.

Allie Goodbun is a young Canadian dancer who is lighting up the stage nightly in Paris at the Moulin Rouge. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for this journey from Canada to Paris. Despite successfully auditioning in 2019, the world had other ideas. When the Moulin Rouge was closed down due to the pandemic, Allie had to bide her time and keep up her training. Not one to sit idly by Allie used this time to keep herself fit by launching an online Fitness program- Flex by Allie Goodbun. Allie’s passion enabled her to grow her business throughout covid-19 until it became a fitness community. Finally as the world started to reopen, Allie was give the call up to head to Paris and take her place on the stage. In this episode we talk all things Moulin Rouge; from training and costumes to performing nightly for sell out audiences.