DIRECTOR

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Olivia Jenkins ballet sydney

Olivia Jenkins

ARAD PDTD  BA (Hons)

Olivia began training in Sydney with Joan and Monica Halliday until their retirement, then full-time with Marie Walton Mahon in Newcastle. At 14 she moved to Paris studying with Monique Arabian, then at École Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille. At 16 she gained a scholarship to English National Ballet School where she trained for 3yrs.

Olivia danced in Europe for 10 years working with Balletto di Teatro Massimo, Cannes Jeune Ballet, English National Ballet, and 5 years as a soloist at Stadt Ballett Koblenz, Germany. She performed and created roles in many ballets including Giselle, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Allegro Brilliante, Paquita, Stalin Dances, West Side Story, La Cage Aux Folles, Orpheus in the Underworld, Cabaret, Violin Concerto.

While working in Germany Olivia completed a Bachelors of Arts Degree from London University, achieving First Class Honours.

Before returning to Australia, Olivia gained a Distinction in the Professional Dancer’s Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), London. 

Upon returning to Australia Olivia danced in the Opera Australia production of Faust, dancing the leading role in the ballet in Act 2. She performed Faust at Sydney Opera House, then toured with the production to Adelaide and Perth in 2015. She took on the role again for the Sydney Opera House season in March 2020 performing the final show shortly before the Opera House closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

In January 2021 Olivia danced in the Opera Australia production of Graeme Murphy’s Merry Widow, reopening the Opera House after it had been closed for 9 months.

International Guest Teaching:

  • RAD International Summer School Tokyo, Singapore, London, Fondo Italy

  • McDonald College Summer School alongside Samira Saidi, Royal Ballet School

  • RAD Isobel Anderson and Joan & Monica Halliday Awards competition classes

  • Genee International Ballet Competition competitors class Sydney

  • Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship and the Robert & Elizabeth Albert Junior Scholarship

  • International Ballet Workshop Melbourne alongside Dusty Button, former Principal of Boston Ballet

  • Betsy Sawers Awards Canberra adjudication

  • RAD Adelaide Summerschool alongside Matthew Lawrence, former Principal of Australian Ballet

  • International Ballet Workshops Gold Coast alongside Ken Ludden, Director of the Margot Fonteyn Academy in New York

  • Ibstage International Summer School Barcelona alongside Larissa Lezhnina, former Principal of Mariinsky Ballet, and Samira Saidi, Ballet Teacher at Royal Ballet School

  • AICD Houston Ballet Scholarship adjudicated by Marilyn Jones OBE and Mark Brinkley OAM

Olivia has adjudicated the Royal Academy of Dance Genee Challenge Competition Canberra and the South Australia Advanced 1 Bursary.

In 2021 Olivia adjudicated the Royal Academy of Dance Isobel Anderson Awards.

During Olivia's career she has had the honour of performing for the Queen of England, the Prince and Princess of Spain, and has worked for Madonna in an autobiographical feature film she created.

Olivia is committed to safe dance training. She has trained in the Progressing Ballet Technique method and in Dance Physiotherapist Lisa Howell's Level 1 Injury Prevention and Level 2 Pointe Safety Courses.

Olivia speaks French, German and Italian, and travels regularly overseas with students to experience the international dance scene. 

In 2018 Olivia spoke on the ABC 7.30 Report “Life After Ballet'“ about the challenges of transitioning out of a performing career. To see the video click on the link below: https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/life-after-ballet/11605580

In April 2021 Olivia was Auditions Choreographer in Melbourne and Sydney for the casting of Andrew Lloyd-Webers Phantom of the Opera which is opening at the Opera House in September.


TEACHERS

 

Amy bale

Ballet

Amy spent over ten years working abroad as a Classical Ballet Dancer with different theatres. Most recently with Staatsballett Berlin (under the direction of Nacho Duato) and The Royal Danish Ballet. Prior to this, she danced with The Romanian National Ballet under the direction of and closely with Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru. Over these years she also gained experience teaching a range of age groups and levels from children to adults.

Having accumulated a variety of experiences in the ballet world on and off stage with different directors, ballet staff and choreographers she is very passionate about the role and responsibility of a teacher at all stages of a dancers schooling/career.

With her own career still fresh, there is a lot that she can pass on to students from technical knowledge to artistic, and even mentorial advice in regards to moving overseas or approaching auditions for example.

 

Kylie Tung

Ballet & RAD

Kylie is trained in ballet, contemporary, lyrical and jazz and has over eight years' teaching experience. She enjoys nurturing her students' love of movement and expression through dance. She was a member of the Project Y contemporary youth company in Melbourne.

Kylie trains with a number of teachers in Sydney and internationally to continually bring new ideas and choreography to her students.

In 2022 Kylie complete the Royal Academy of Dance Teacher Training Program and is now an RAD Registered Teacher.

Victor Zarallo

Ballet & Contemporary

Victor was born in Barcelona and trained at the Instituto del Teatro, The John Cranko School - Stuttgart and graduated from the Royal Ballet School in July 2008.

He joined Scottish Ballet upon graduation and was promoted to Soloist in 2014.

Victor joined Sydney Dance Company in 2018 as a dancer and later expanded his roll to an in-house and virtual teacher, as well as training the Pre Professional Year students of Sydney Dance Company.

 

Joshua Consandine

Ballet

Joshua Consandine trained at the Australian Ballet School before joining the West Australian Ballet Company in 1993. Joshua joined the Australian Ballet Company in 1994. During his ten years with the company Joshua performed many lead roles in both classical and contemporary works and reached the rank of principal artist. Joshua then danced with Sydney Dance Company in 2005 for four years before spending time at NIDA receiving a post graduate diploma in movement studies.

Joshua has since worked extensively throughout Australia’s arts industry as both a choreographer and teacher. He has worked for Opera Australia as the choreographer and assistant director for their production of ‘Cosi Fan Tutti’. His choreographic works have been performed by artists of the Australian Ballet Company for their Body Torque seasons, both in Sydney and Melbourne. Joshua has also worked on the ABC’s production of Dance Academy.

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Wanda Wojtulewicz-Levine

Character

B Sc Arch (Hons), B Arch (Hons) 

Wanda has a uniquely broad range of knowledge in National and Character Dance, with more than 25 years teaching experience, and has directed major dance events for over 10 years at the Sydney Opera House as Assistant Director of the National Folkloric Festival and Artistic Director of the Festival of Cultures.

Her education was grounded in the Russian Moiseyev style, and most of her teachers came through its rigorous training and tradition. She has studied dance at prestigious institutes in Moscow, and the repertoire she teaches includes character and national dance from many cultures.

Wanda has taught extensively in ballet schools, tertiary institutions and for performance groups, and has had guest engagements for WAAPA, the Royal Academy of Dance, the Cecchetti Society, Ausdance, NIDA, and the University of Natalia Nesterova (Moscow). She has choreographed for productions by Kim Carpenter’s Theatre of Image and Sport for Jove. Wanda was a regular adjudicator of the World Dance sections for Sydney Eisteddfod and is a Trustee of the Guillermo Keys-Arenas Dance Trust. 

Zac Jaffar

Lyrical & Jazz

Zac trained at Tisch University of Performing Arts, New York, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre and Choreography. Zac is an accomplished dancer, singer, actor and choreographer. His theatre and television credits include: The Arena Spectacular Grease, Into the Woods, MAUI the Musical, The King and I [New York], Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and Pyjama Games.

 

Stef Lois

Intermediate Contemporary

Stefani trained in Sydney before moving overseas to Spain to continue her ballet studies at Víctor Ullate Escuela. 

After returning to Australia, Stefani joined Sydney Dance Company's Pre-Professional Year where she performed Stephanie Lake’s ‘Colossus’ and repertoire by Rafael Bonachela, whilst also completing her Advanced Diploma in Dance. 

Stefani has worked with numerous renowned choreographers and dancers including James O’Hara, Rafael Bonachela, Stephanie Lake, Gabrielle Nankivell, Cloé Fournier, Omer Backley-Astrachan, and Sam Coren.

Francesco Ventriglia

Guest Teacher

Francesco is an Italian former ballet dancer with Teatro alla Scala in Milan, a choreographer, and artistic director. In 2010 he was appointed as Europe's youngest artistic director, at the age of 32, by the Florence Opera House where he held the role of artistic director and principal choreographer for MaggioDanza until 2013. In 2014 he was named artistic director of Royal New Zealand Ballet. He held that appointment until June 2017. From January 2018 he was adjunct artistic director of the National Ballet of Uruguay.

Francesco is also a choreographer of classical and contemporary ballet, having works performed internationally by companies such as La Scala Ballet, Arena di Verona, Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Ballet, Grande Théâtre du Genève, Royal New Zealand Ballet, the National Ballet of Uruguay, and at the Venice Biennale.

In 2021 Francesco established himself in Sydney and co-founded the Sydney Choreographic Centre with Neil Christopher. Sydney Choreographic Ensemble is the resident performing group of the Centre, and made its debut with the world premiere of GRIMM at Parramatta Riverside Theatres.

Elias Garcia Herrera

Guest Teacher

Elias Garcia was born in Spain and studied at Rosella Hightower in Cannes and with Maria de Avila in Spain. He joined the National Ballet of the Saragoza, Balletto di Montecarlo, and the Ballet du Nord. In these prestigious companies he danced solo roles with choreography by George Balanchine, Roland Petit, Anthony Tudor, John Cranko, Willliam Forsythe, Uwe Scholz, M. Marin, Leonide Massine, Mikael Fokine, Petipa…

He later became Ballet Master of Ballet National de Lyon and Ballet du Nord. Elias gained the Paris Opera Ballet School Teaching Diploma and has guest taught around the world.

Elias founded one of the most highly regarded and innovative international summer schools, IBStage, attracting teachers and dancers from around the world.

In 2016 Elias founded the Ballet de Catalunya in Barcelona.

 

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PATRON

Marie Walton-Mahon OAM

RAD RTS

Marie is internationally regarded as one of Australia’s best ballet teachers, training numerous professional dancers working in famous companies throughout the world. Marie is now internationally renowned since developing Progressing Ballet Technique - a unique method to help dancers reach their potential, taught at prestigious institutions such as Teatro La Scala, English National Ballet School, Washington Ballet School.

Marie trained Director Olivia Jenkins in her formative teenage years giving her the tools that took her to a professional level.

In 2021 Marie was given an Order of Australia Medal from the Governor-General.