MEET THE STAFF
Dedicated Professionals
KATHLEEN CURWEN-WALKER LCBA (Cecchetti) artistic director
Kathleen is an internationally recognised dance school instructor and choreographer, teaching and choreagraphing dance performances since 1980. In 1976 she was a Cecchetti gold medal winner and in 1982 was awarded the coveted Enrico Cecchetti Diploma…
KIMBERLEY COUSINS (studio manager/teacher)
Kimberley has 40 years of dancing experience and has trained in ballet (RAD), jazz, and contemporary, and spent her pre-adult life performing in New Zealand dance competitions and performing arts shows and ballets. As an adult, Kimberley has performed and choreographed…
Rose Macgregor Dip RBS (TTC) ARAD (SENIOR TEACHER)
After graduating from the Royal Ballet School Teachers Training Course London in 1995.
Rose returned to NZ bringing along her passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of teaching
ballet and accepted her first position at a prominent Auckland ballet school…
Bridie Connors-Schwartz (SENIOR TEACHER)
Bridie received her primary ballet training at Draper Academy of Dance in Pukekohe, before participating in her first U.S summer intensive program, “Performing in New York” with Ajkun Ballet Theatre, at the age of 15. Following PINY, Bridie joined the […]
Alysha Hilder B.DanceST
Alysha started dancing at the age of four. She studied Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary & began teaching at sixteen. After being awarded a dance scholarship, she went on to gain a Bachelors in Dance at the University of Auckland. In 2017 Alysha…
Mikaela Jacob
At the age of four Mikaela (nee Berney) came home from kindy and begged her mum to put her into ballet lessons. Gaining distinction in all RAD examinations to Advanced 2, Mikaela was also a member of the New Zealand […]
Rosalie Hornung
Rosalie is originally from Melbourne, Australia. She holds a First class Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science, Master’s degree in Nursing, a post graduate Diploma in Prescribing, and a post Graduate Certificate in Education and Management (Diabetes). She is a […]
Grace Oberschneider (B.P.S.A)
Grace Oberschneider studied ballet and contemporary dance for 13 years. She completed her Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts with a major in Contemporary Dance at Unitec in 2012. Grace has produced a range of award winning choreographic works and […]
DANIEL COOPER (SENIOR TEACHER)
Daniel trained at The New Zealand School of Dance and graduated in 2001. After graduating he understudied and danced in Douglas Wright’s 2002 season of ‘Inland’ then went on to dance with Black Grace Dance Company. During his time with […]
Lesley Bandy (Guest Teacher)
Lesley trained in Auckland New Zealand with Doreen O’Leary, the Scottish Ballet School, and the Royal Ballet School in London. Classes in New York with David Howard, American Ballet Theatre and School of American Ballet, and with Stanley Holden in […]
Vienna West BAppSC
Vienna has been involved in the dance world since the age of five and studied a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and musical theatre. Her training had a strong emphasis on ballet where she completed Advanced 2 in both the BBO and RAD…
LIBBY THOMSON
Libby Thomson is a high school trained French and Dance teacher. After completing both her Bachelor of Arts and her NZAMD Advanced Ballet and Jazz examinations, Libby went on her OE and lived in France for four years teaching English to a variety of age groups. When she came back…
Rachel Kitchens
Rachel is originally from Atlanta, GA, USA where she trained in ballet with The Atlanta School of Ballet. She was invited to perform in The Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet and continued her dance training in contemporary and […]
