Former American Ballet Theatre soloist Anna Liceica has been judging the Youth America Grand Prix since 2007. "Once in a while, we see someone who tries to do too many turns without good form or musicality," she says. "We don't encourage it, and that dancer does not place high.
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My daughter’s dance teacher said that she is “Hypermobile”…what is this, and what does it mean for her as a dancer? Around each of our joints are strong ligaments that help hold our bones together. In some people these ligaments are very tight, while in others they are quite stretchy. If a person has very stretchy or “lax” ligaments we call this “hypermobility”.
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Quitting all fun stuff doesn’t encourage discipline. If anything, I’d argue we need to show our children how their dance or exercise can help with their exam revision. It can help manage stress and re-focus their brain. Last week my friend shared a piece about herself, in The Mirror. She was young and posing in her ballet costume. She had the biggest, beaming smile on her face. But the article explained that she’d given up dancing to study for her school exams. She hasn’t danced since.
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Are you experiencing constant pain in your back when you are dancing? Are you not balancing as well as you used to? Maybe the problem is that your spine is out of alignment or your pelvis is not level. The body’s foundation is formed by the pelvic girdle. When this bony structure consisting of hip bones and the lower bones of the back is level, there will be maximum balance and stability in the spinal column.
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Dance — and physical activity — should have the same status in schools as math, science and language. Psst: it may even help raise test scores, says Sir Ken Robinson.
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“Without music, life would be a mistake”, said Nietzsche, and he wasn’t entirely wrong because we have a natural instinct that leads us to follow the rhythm of the music. In fact, most children move and clap their hands when they hear a song they like. It is a spontaneous response related to our need to communicate and express our emotions through the movement and the body.
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Dip. Dance Teaching & Management
Acrobatic Arts Certified Teacher
Qualified Teacher – Ready, Set…Dance!
Qualified Teacher – Ready, Set…Ballet!
RAD Associate Member
ATOD Affiliate Member
First Aid & CPR Certificate – Current
Katrina began dancing at the age of 5 in Townsville studying Classical Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Irish dance, Singing and Drama. She completed her R.A.D. Classical Ballet Advanced Certificate at 16 and in her youth, won the Townsville Eisteddfod Classical Ballet and Modern Championships. Moving to Sydney at 16 to attend the Sydney City Ballet School (under the direction of Tanya Pearson), she completed her Teacher’s Certificate in Modern and Tap F.A.T.D syllabus.
After teaching in Sydney, she returned to Townsville to commence work with the Johnny Young Talent School. Here she introduced syllabus and technical training to the students, and purchased it to form TAPA in 1999.
Katrina has choreographed many local musicals and performances for television, radio and community events. Having completed her Diploma in Teaching and Management and Acrobatic Arts Teaching Certificate, Katrina is now passing on her love of dance to the next generation of teachers while offering many students international opportunities with workshops in Montenegro, New York, Los Angeles, Scotland and London.
Growing up in Townsville, Michelle studied, performed and competed in Ballet, Modern, Tap, Highland and Irish dance, before successfully auditioning in 1979 for admission to Melbourne’s Victorian College of Arts.
Upon completing her Diploma of Teaching, Michelle returned to Townsville and attained her Royal Academy of Dance Teachers’ Diploma. She is also a fully registered teacher of the well-appointed Royal Academy of Dance.
Michelle prides herself on being a part of the TAPA family from its infancy, watching it grow to the studio it has now become. Of particular enjoyment to Michelle, is that in her 30 years of teaching dance, she has had the opportunity to not only teach, but also inspire and encourage so many young people to follow their dreams.
Trained in Townsville, Porzhia studied Ballet, Tap, Highland, Modern and Contemporary in a whirlwind of dance classes, workshops & eisteddfods. She completed her Associate Degree in Dance at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), before going to teach in Victoria, where she gained Pilates teacher qualifications and completed her RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies, with Michelle Flynn as her mentor.
Having flown to great heights many times, Porzhia is excited to get her feet back on the ground, returning to the TAPA family to continue expressing her love for dance through the art of teaching!
Melissa has been dancing and participating in musical theatre productions since 1994, as well as teaching since 2005. She graduated from Ikin Dance as a full-time student in 2010 and then worked for agencies at the Gold Coast, Brisbane and overseas, before returning to Townsville.
Yes…Melissa was also a cheerleader for the Gold Coast Titans (sorry, NQ Cowboys!). With Melissa’s extensive experience, she is highly regarded within the local theatre communities and has choreographed and performed with The Burdekin Singers & Theatre Company, North Queensland Opera and Musical Theatre (NQOMT) and the Townsville Choral Society (TCS).
Melissa is proficient in Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Lyrical, American Cheerleading, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop styles.
Naomi began dancing from 9 years of age with Dance Works Academy, in Innisfail. Upon completing school and having received a full-time ballet scholarship, Naomi moved to Melbourne for further tuition and experience.
Missing both North Queensland and the fullfilment of teaching, she relocated back to Cairns to complete her teaching qualifications, while working full-time at Turning Pointe Dance Studios.
Now having moved to Townsville and successfully completing Acrobatic Arts Teacher certification , Naomi shares her time between a real estate agency and with the amazing TAPA “family”, where as a teacher of tap, ballet, contemporary, acrobatic arts and jazz dance she can enjoy sharing her love, passion and knowledge of dance with her “children”.
Madison began dancing at the age of 4 and quickly discovered Irish dance to be her favourite style.
Madison competed at a state, national and travelled to Ireland to compete in the world championships before undertaking her teacher training. She was awarded her teacher qualifications by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, the governing body of Irish Dance in 2015.
Madison is also a member of the Australian Irish Dancing Association and its North Queensland Sub Committee. She thoroughly enjoys the high energy nature of Irish Dance and is a welcome addition to the TAPA family, as she shares her enthusiasm for dance with our students.
Acrobatic Arts Certified Teacher
ATOD Affiliated Teacher
First Aid & CPR Certificate – Current
Katie brings with her a wealth of knowledge, from running her own dance school in Central Queensland for many years and offering dance opportunities to rural children who lived on properties and farms, to her experienced eye adjudicating Dance Eisteddfods and Dance Festivals.
Miss Katie trained fulltime in Melbourne at Danceworld 301 and has performed with artists such as Human Nature, The Corrs and David Campbell.
TAPA are so excited to have Miss Katie on board and for her to share her knowledge and passion for choreography and performance with our TAPA Family.
Katerina’s love for dance was nurtured when she commenced dance classes many years ago with TAPA, where she initially studied Jazz, Contemporary and Irish dance, before then including Tap and Acrobatics to broaden and strengthen her dance base.
Always aspiring to be the best dancer she could be, Katerina received due recognition from her school in Year 12, receiving the Jane Pirani Award for the dance student who demonstrated the most potential.
She is currently studying to achieve a Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management (ATOD) and has successfully completed the Acrobatic Arts Teacher Certificate recently.
Dancing has instilled in Katerina an enormous amount of confidence which brings JOY to her life and as a teacher, she is thrilled to pass on this joy and passion for dance to her students every single day.
At age 15, Kerry was accepted to The Royal Ballet School in England. Upon graduating, Kerry danced in ballet companies in both Europe & the UK before returning to Australia at age 21, settling in Perth. She then toured Australia with the Hanna-Barbera production of “Flinstones on Parade”, worked at the Genting Casino in Malaysia with Regmat Productions and also toured Egypt, Japan, Greece and South-East Asia with Jacoba Productions performing in show rooms in the Hilton, Sheraton & Marriott Hotel Groups. While in Perth, Kerry taught major ballet students both RAD and Commonwealth syllabi at various schools before relocating to Townsville.
In 1999 she enrolled her daughter, Porzhia at TAPA, who became a favourite teacher at the Academy, before she left to take a position with Etihad Airways, but has been drawn back again.
Kerry shares the role of office administrator with Andrew and has a wealth of experience and knowledge of many forms of dance.
Married to Katrina, Andrew is the Academy’s JOATMON (Jack of all Trades, Master of None). Usually you will find him manning the administration desk of an afternoon, tending to the parents and students of the Academy…but he has also been known to appear in the end of year production when a “strong man” is required.
Completely lacking any formal dance training, Andrew has a Building Services Authority licence in Carpentry and Metal Fabrication and extensive experience in Construction, Engineering and Management.
A key member of the team and as Katrina’s “right-hand man”, he is integral to the Academy’s success.
Renee began working with children at the age of 18 through sports coaching roles and Early Childhood Education where she gained her Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. A love of sport and coaching has seen Renee attend many coaching workshops and sports and physical education workshops over the years. While she represented at local and state level for numerous sports, Renee also shared a passion for dance.
Renee has been a member of the TAPA family for over 10 years and loves the energy and fun that the Ready Set Dance program inspires in the students and teachers. She is so excited to be able to pass on her love of physical activity to the littlest members of TAPA and loves watching their excitement and development from week to week.
Diploma of Dance
Cert. IV in Dance Teaching and Management
First Aid & CPR Certificate - Current
Tearna, the younger daughter of Katrina and Andrew, grew up in the TAPA household (quite literally) and you might recognise her as "the little girl in the pink tutu" on the studio front door. As a TAPA student, Tearna studied all styles of dance and then assisted in the studios as a junior teacher from the age of fifteen.
After finishing her secondary schooling, Tearna moved to Melbourne. There she studied Contemporary dance and Performing Arts full-time at the dance training institution, Transit Dance. While in Melbourne she was tutored by highly-regarded Australian choreographers such as Yvette Lee, Paul Malek, Kim Adam and Michael Ralph and successfully completed both a Certificate IV and Diploma of Dance, as well as a Certificate IV - Dance Teaching and Management.
Tearna is thrilled to call Townsville home again and to be back with the TAPA family. She is excited to share her passion and knowledge in the studios as a teacher and welcomes the opportunity to work alongside her parents.
Growing up in Townsville, Alyssa, at the age of 2, started (and has never stopped) dancing at TAPA, studying ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, hip hop, highland and tap since that early beginning.
Competing at many championships, competitions and eisteddfods, Alyssa quickly realised her love for dancing and performing. She is very thankful for the many opportunities that dance has provided to her over the years. While on overseas tours, Alyssa has participated in classes and workshops with some of the world's best dance companies, with a significant highlight being the opportunity to perform in Disneyland’s “Dance the Magic” Parade in America.
Working alongside the TAPA staff who have played a huge part in her life is considered a great privilege by Alyssa, as it has been partly through their caring guidance that has resulted in the engaging young woman she has become. Being provided with the opportunity to teach TAPA's younger students has further strengthened Alyssa's passion for teaching children and enriching their lives...and in her words, "It's not work when you can be at TAPA and do what you love every day!"
Certificate IV in Dance
Certificate IV in Dance Teaching & Management
First Aid Certificate - current
Katie's dance journey began with TAPA in 2002 where she continued to grow her passion for dance as a teacher, before moving to Melbourne in 2016. Katie attended Kelly Aykers Full Time Dance to complete her qualifications.
During her short time in Melbourne, Katie had the privilege of working alongside many prestigious choreographers. Her performance credits include Australian Dance Festival, corporate events for Crown Casino, a flash mob reveal for Honda, and performing and acting as a guest choreographer with Company touring regional Victoria with their show 'Broadway & Beyond'. Most recently Katie worked with Sockdaily for their 2022 advertising campaign. In 2019 Katie co-founded Prestige Dance Awards, a platform that holds events & competitions for students to share their passion for dance whilst learning from industry professionals.
Katie is very passionate about developing the growth of each student in every aspect of dance. We are so excited to have her bright energy and creativity back in the TAPA studios in 2022!