Teachers
Kristin Smith
Kristin joined the dance world at the age of 12 after participating in gymnastics at the age of 3. Over the years Kristin has embraced, participated in, and studied many genres, including; ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, partnering, hiphop, and African under the direction of many artists in Philadelphia, New York, Florida, England, Australia and Bermuda.
Whilst in Bermuda, Kristin formed her own performance group called 2 Classified which performed locally in Bermuda for over 5yrs. This developed alongside her training with United Dance Productions and In Motion School of Dance. Kristin became a member of the Junior Company at United Dance Productions and than a member of the Senior Company "Concepts in Motion" at In Motion School of Dance. Kristin was offered many scholarships to summer intensive programs such as University of the Arts Summer Intensive and Ballethnic.
Kristin studied Dance and Business studies while attending Middlesex University in London, England. Whilst in London, Kristin performed in various productions, and was given the opportunity to choreograph for a few commercial singers.
Kristin is the Director of Addicted 2 Dance and she continues to evoke her passion for the arts onto her students. Kristin’s students strive for success and this is made evident on their approach to her choreography and the performances and competitions they participate in.
Sammy Leonard
Originally from New Zealand, training at the Dunedin School of Ballet and Dance, Sammy moved to Sydney to pursue her dancing career. She studied Fulltime at Brent Street Performing Arts School; She has taken class with some of the worlds most well known dancers and Choreographers in Australia such as Kelley Abbey, Jason Coleman, Marko Panzic, Dianne Rakebrandt,Melanie Hitchcock, Matt Lee, Sarah Boulter and much more.
Sammy has also worked with overseas choreographers and dancers, Christina Aguilera’s dancer Gilbert, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jacksons Dancer Eddie Morales, Nick Bass, Marty Kudelka,Sky Hoffman Patrick Chen and many more.
She danced in a Hiphop crew called Celsius in Sydney battling the stage with other crews at Groove 2008 comps and Battle Grounds 2008. Sammy also has danced for the 2009 Mardi Gras, Refuel Gay night, The Young Divas, Uk’s Freemason’s, Duran Adhar,& Girlband, in film clips and live shows which include an appearance in Home and Away and Cow TV NZ.
Sammy was nominated for over 4 times for Hip hop, contemporary and Jazz scholarships in New Zealand and was ranked 4th in the NZAMD jazz scholarship auditions at the age of 16 by Jason Coleman.
After winning many competitions, awards and trophies we are definitely honoured to have her onboard at Addicted 2 Dance to relay her passion and experience to our young dancers.
Jamie Watt
Jamie has appeared in countless stage productions including The Buddy Holly Story, Grease (Danny Zuko), West Side Story (Bernardo), All Shook Up (Chad), and was lucky enough to perform opposite Rob Guest in Sweeney Todd (Tobias Ragg).
No stranger to living and breathing theatre, Jamie has also spent over 4 years in theatrical administration and has acted as dance captain on several productions. Other productions include the Aus. Premiere of Jekyll & Hyde, Footloose, and Chess: The Musical. Jamie is thrilled to be on the teaching faculty at Addicted 2 Dance and we are honoured to have his expertise in-house.
Michael Hughes
Michael began dancing under the direction of Suellen Venker at Mudgeeraba Dance Studio and Shannon Atkins at Dance Technique before furthering his training at Conroy Dance Centre/ Conroy Performing Arts College in Brisbane last year. Michael is trained in a wide variety of styles including Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Cabaret, Modern, Hip Hop and Acrobatics. To date, Michael has already performed in three Gold Coast Arts Centre productions - All Shook Up, Boy from Oz and Cabaret Berserkus working with directors such as Robert Young and Anthony Crowley. Last year Michael toured Queensland with a children’s entertainment group called ‘The Boogie Woogies’ as a highly sought after dancer/singer/host. His work has also seen him venture into the commercial world of dance, working for ‘Chase Creations agency’, performing at local shopping centres, corporate functions, nightclubs, Jupiter’s Casino and Gold Coast 600 Indy festival alongside performers such as Scarlett Belle, club act-Vandalism and Paulini Curuenavuli from Australian Idol. Some of Michael’ s mentors include Jack Chambers, Marko Panzic, Kylie Goeldner, Lucas Newland, Anthony Ikin and Ben Veitch just to name a few. Michael is excited to be on the teaching staff of Addicted Dance and hopes to share his passion and love for entertainment industry.
Jamie Allen
Jamie has been dancing for over 10 years commencing her training with ballet and jazz techniques. Jamie has participated in various competitions including Eisteddfods on the Gold Coast and attended a competition in Hawaii where she was awarded first place. Whilst in Hawaii, Jamie attended various workshops and received the opportunity to work with various renowned artists.
Commencing her teaching experience as an Assistant Instructor, Jamie demonstrated her patience, ability to listen and instruct, and her enjoyment in working with the students at Addicted 2 Dance. Jamie has now been teaching for over 4 years and the students show their appreciation daily as they greet Jamie with their warm embrace.
Jess Neill
Jess commenced her training in dance at the age of 7 and it was truly evident that dance was indeed her passion. Jess continued her training through high school where she became more involved in the world of dance.
Jess received numerous opportunities to perform and choreograph in events, such as; competitions, musicals, drama performances and rock eisteddfods. At Palm Beach Currumbin High, Jess was honoured membership to the Dance Excellence class where she was a member for 3 consecutive years.
At the age of 14, Jess began teaching at Addicted 2 Dance alongside her own growth and development in the arts.
Jess continues to inspire the younger dancers with her experience in dance, and her continued dedication and determination to develop as well. The passion is immeasurable and exudes itself whilst teaching. Jess not only instructs her students but mentors them and ensures they are well-rounded individuals. It is an honour having Jess onboard who has been instructing for over the 6yrs and is also a pleasure watching her perform.
Caylee Francis
Caylee’s love for dance began at age 7, when she began dancing at Mudgeeraba Dance Studio, under the direction of Suellen Venker, after partaking in gymnastics for many years prior. There she studied Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Acrobatics under instruction of fantastic teachers such as Suellen Venker, Fraise Fenech, Wendy Sims, and Ben Nicolodi.
At Merrimac State High School, Caylee was always apart of all the extra-curricular dance and performance activities, as well as excelled at dance and drama course subjects. Dance Excellence Troupe, School Musical and Multi Cultural Night are just some of the performance activities Caylee participated in. Caylee’s Musical Repertoire includes – Fame, Crusin’, High School Musical, and Barnum where she was dance captain and was also chosen to perform on the silks. She attended Mudgeeraba Dance Studio until 2009 where she can attest her passion for dance had ignited. When Caylee graduated Grade 12 she decided to take on a fulltime Musical Theatre course at Queensland College of Performing Arts, and studied under such teachers as Gael Ballantyne, Kylie Goeldner, Marissa Lee, and Heidi Jennings, to extend her skills in acting, dancing and singing.
After receiving her Cert IV in Musical Theatre, 2011 brings her to Dance Force Fulltime to attain her Cert IV in Performing Arts (Dance) and focus more specifically on the art of dance, where she is trained by Nicole Davis, Kylie Goeldner, Megan Cooper, Michael Edge, Heidi Jennings, Amanda Taylor etc. Caylee is excited to be passing on her passion and love for dance to the students of Addicted 2 Dance and believes that doing so is such a special and rewarding experience for both student and teacher.
Tara Browne
Tara started dancing at the tender age of 6 under the guidance of Paradise Performers Academy for 14yrs. She then moved onto commence fulltime study under the direction of DanceForce for a year gaining her Certificate IV in Dance. This certification provided Tara with the insight into various dance genres, as well as experiencing the world of fulltime dance – attending dance 5 days a week for 5 hours a day. Tara has trained extensively under many experienced and well known teachers/choreographers such as; Nicole Davis, Kylie Goeldner, Megan Cooper, Michael Edge, Heidi Jennings, Amanda Taylor, Peta Norton, Michelle Wriggles & Chelsee Hastie in Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap & more recently Hip Hop and other Dance Fusions.
Tara has been teaching for 6 years, specializing in Commercial Jazz and Tap to all ages ranging from Tiny Tots to Adults. Tara’s teaching experience has allowed her to develop and adapt her own unique style of Jazz. Having placed many of her students into Eisteddfods for Solos/Duos and Group selections, Tara has a vast experience on performance and technical requirements for competitions. She loves teaching Funk, Jazz & Tap classes to a range of ages and hopes that she can help Addicted 2 Dance students to enjoy dance as much as she does!
