OUR TEAM
WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT...
Our team celebrate achievements, inspire the pure joy, love, and appreciation of all styles of dance and the arts through fun, joy, laughter, hard work and discipline. Our team is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment where students are free to express themselves and find their feet as young performers!
Meet The Team
ARAD RTS, RAD Teachers Cert (Classical Ballet), CSTD Teachers Cert (Jazz), CSTD Teachers Cert (Tap), AdvDip Dance (Elite Performance), Acrobatic Arts Certified.
Demi is the very proud Director of Dance Avenue Mackay. Becoming the Owner Director of DA sees one of Demi’s life goals come to fruition.
Demi started dancing when she was three and went on to complete all her tap/jazz exams within the CSTD syllabus, including her jazz/tap teachers’ certificates. She completed all her Ballet examinations within the Royal Academy of Dance syllabi up to and including Advanced 2, gaining a distinction. She holds her Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Teacher’s Certification and her acrobatic teaching qualifications through Acrobatic Arts.
Demi was a very successful competition dancer, training and competing successfully for 14 years in her hometown of Mackay. As a competition dancer Demi travelled and competed successfully at many regional and state competitions.
Demi knew after high school that she wanted to pursue a career in the performing arts. This passion took her to Melbourne where she graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Elite Dance from Danceworld Studios, Melbourne in
2014. During her time in full-time studies in Melbourne, Demi was also a teacher at Danceworld, which was a testament to how she was respected and valued for her dance and teaching abilities.
Demi has worked with brands including Berlei and L’Oréal Australia; performed at the AFC Asian Cup 2015 and other various corporate and promotional events including Crown Casino.
Demi returned to Mackay in 2015, to be closer to family and to continue her dance teaching career.
During her decade in dance education and performance Demi has had the privilege of working with and being mentored by top industry dance professionals including, Lynette Denny AM; Jan Mills; Pamela Apostolidis; Julie Fleming; Daniel Ryan, Nica Lee and Nadia Komazec. She thanks each of them for the part that they have played in making her who she is as a dance and performance professional.
Teaching a comprehensive curriculum that encourages versatility and adaptability in her dancers is a high priority for Demi, and she’s committed to pushing her students to think critically and creatively daily. Whilst enjoying every moment and gaining joy from what they do.
Demi has instructed young dancers who have gone on to pursue full time dance studies in commercial studies and others who have pursued their own teaching careers. Demi has enjoyed tremendous success with student exam results maintaining high standards and a 100% success rate and many of her students have enjoyed high level results and awards at Eisteddfods and competitions both in individual and group entries.
She feels privileged to be leading a passionate and committed team of dance and performance professionals who also have a desire to support young people have fun and grow to their full performance potential.
Cert III (Dance and Performing Arts), CSTD Jazz Teachers Certificate
Chelsea danced locally from the time she was tiny in all genres of dance and performing arts and completed her exams through the Commonwealth Society Teachers of Dancing (CSTD), including her CSTD Jazz Teachers Certificate and RAD Ballet Advanced I.
From an early age Chelsea knew she was in love with the performing arts, upon graduation from high school, Chelsea decided to pursue her dance career. She relocated to Melbourne to train in a two-year Performing Arts course at Patricks School of the Arts. Under the direction of Todd Patrick, Patrick’s is one of Australia’s leading industry performing arts schools. Chelsea graduated from Patricks in 2014, with a Performing Arts Course completion and a Cert III in Dance from Swinbourne University.
Chelsea has performed in Cabaret stage shows; Celebrity Chef Restaurant openings; Crown Casino events and Mercedes Benz launches.
In 2015 Chelsea returned home to commence her dance teaching career at Dance Avenue Mackay. For as long as she can remember Chelsea has wanted to pass her love of dance on. Her industry education and training has provided a strong foundation for her teaching. She continues to share her passion and experience for dance with her students.
Chelsea also works as a Teacher’s Aide within the primary education system. Her professional knowledge and skills in supporting the development of children are very beneficial to her role as a dance teacher.
B. Theatre (Music Theatre); GradDip Learning and Teaching Secondary (Drama/Dance)
Ella Barresi has always loved everything about the performing arts. Ella’s dance training has involved Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Music Theatre – completing the CTSD Tap, Theatrical and Modern Jazz examination strands. As an extension to her dance training, Ella’s vocal training has consisted of eleven years of private tuition in both Melbourne and Mackay. Ella is a graduate of the Bachelor of Theatre (Specialisation Musical Theatre) at Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (2013) and Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching – Drama and Dance with Distinction (2017). While completing her theatre degree, Ella had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in Australian musical theatre on some amazing shows. These included Brigadoon, 42nd Street, The Sentimental Bloke, Chicago, Guys and Dolls (Dance Captain) and Necessary Targets.
Ella has participated in a range of workshops from visiting artists that involved cabaret, audition preparation, commercial dance, story through song and examination preparation. Since teaching with Australian Teachers Of Dancing (ATOD) Ella has also attended the launch of the Music Theatre syllabus in Melbourne (2017) and Dance Learn Connect Teaching Day (2021).
Ella knew from early on that although she loved performing, her true passion was within education. Ella has spent many years preparing students for their examinations, eisteddfods, and end of year performances. Ella’s most recent teaching credits outside of the secondary classroom include Conservatorium Academy at Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (2016-2021), Tap and technique coaching in the Bachelor of Theatre at Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (2017-present) and Music Theatre and Tap at Dance Avenue Mackay (2016-present).
Ella is passionate about letting students learn and grow in a nurturing, safe and professional environment and watching her students find their feet as young performers.
ARAD, RAD Teacher’s Certificate (Classical Ballet), APA and BASI Pilates
Katrina was trained and mentored in classical ballet from an early age at a local Mackay dance school. Katrina successfully competed in many Eisteddfods across Queensland, achieved high results in CSTD Jazz and Tap and Royal Academy of Dance classical ballet examinations, including successfully achieving RAD Advanced 2 in 2007.
Katrina has been teaching ballet for over 10 years in the Mackay region, completing the RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies in 2010, mentored by Stella Geoghegan and Leisa Payne.
Katrina has choreographed and taught numerous award-winning solos and groups in many competitions and Eisteddfods as well as successfully training students in graded and vocational examinations in classical ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Australian Teachers of Dance.
Katrina pursued further education from 2011 completing Pilates Teacher Training in Matwork, Reformer, Stability Chair and small apparatus with the Australia Pilates Academy, Tensegrity Training and more recently has undertaken professional development training with BASI Pilates International.
Katrina has a young family and enjoys spending her time with her husband Matt and son Charlie.
Katrina encourages students to understand anatomy and how to utilise strength and mobility in the body to assist in perfecting technique, alignment and general health and well-being. Katrina believes ballet is the foundation of all dance forms and encourages all of our dancers to invest their dance time in learning the fundamentals of ballet to enhance technique, performance quality and most of all the love of dance.
Katrina is a gifted, versatile, and multi-skilled teacher with a passion for passing the joy of dance on to her students.
