PRINCIPAL: Amy Newton Christie
AMY BEGAN AS A SELF TAUGHT HIP HOP DANCER/TEACHER AND AFTER TEACHING IN VARIOUS SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY CENTRES ACROSS VICTORIA SHE OPENED HER OWN SCHOOL, AMY NEWTON DANCE STUDIOS IN 2001.
IN 2009+2010 AMY PARTICIPATED IN A FULL TIME DIPLOMA OF DANCE COURSE WHICH INVOLVED PERFORMING AT THE VICTORIAN TRAINING AWARDS AT CROWN CASINO MELBOURNE.
AT A.N.D.S. AMY IS THE MAIN TEACHER FOR HIP HOP, JAZZ + CONTEMPORARY AND DANCE COMPETITIONS. AND OUTSIDE OF THE DANCE SCHOOL, SHE CHOREOGRAPHS FOR WEDDINGS, DEBUTANTE BALLS, SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS, CLUB GIGS, SPORTS MODEL COMPS, AND HAS ASSISTED AND CO JUDGED IN POLE COMPS ALSO. AMY ALSO CO-JUDGED ALONGSIDE JUSTICE CREW AT SHEPPARTON HIP HOP FEST.
AMY STANDS BY HER MOTTO: "PERFORM FOR AN AUDIENCE...BUT DANCE FOR YOURSELF"
TEACHER: Jessie Handcock
JESSIE HAS BEEN DANCING FOR OVER 25 YEARS RECEIVING TRAINING IN JAZZ, TAP, BALLET, CONTEMPORARY, HIP HOP/FUNK, ACROBATICS, CHEERLEADING, DRAMA & SINGING.
JESSIE HAS PERFORMED ALL OVER THE WORLD, WITH SOME HIGHLIGHTS BEING DISNEYLAND, DISNEYWORLD, CARNIVAL IMAGINATION CRUISE SHIP, MELBOURNE COMMONWEALTH GAMES, THE WESLEY LIONS CHEERLEADING SQUAD, PROMOTIONAL WORK FOR NICKELODEON AND SHOWTIME ATTRACTIONS, EXTRA WORK ON NEIGHBOURS, ROYAL CARIBBEAN MAJESTY OF THE SEAS, KATY PERRY AT THE THE WOMENS T20 WORLD CUP CRICKET FINAL AND ACHIEVING PLACINGS SUCH AS ATOD STATE CHAMPION FOR SENIOR JAZZ AND TAP (2006 & 2008) AND ATOD STATE & AUSTRALASIAN WINNER FOR SENIOR BALLET (2009).
JESSIE TEACHES BALLET, TAP AND ACRO AT A.N.D.S, AND SHE HOPES TO HELP MORE STUDENTS IN THE FUTURE WITH PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS PERFORMING IN AMERICA AND ON CRUISE SHIPS.
ROBERT BEGAN DANCING WITH ANDS IN 2014 AT THE AGE OF 14, HAVING 8 YEARS OF TRAINING PRIOR. ROBERT RECEIVED DANCER OF THE YEAR IN 2015 AND JOINED THE A.N.D.S. STAFF IN 2018. FINISHING HIS LAST YEAR WITH US IN 2019, HE MOVED TO MELBOURNE TO PURSUE PERFORMING ARTS. HOWEVER DUE TO COVID-19 HE RETURNED TO SHEPPARTON, AND WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO HAVE HIM REJOIN OUR STAFF.
ANDS HISTORY
TEACHER, & ART DIRECTOR: Robert Baxter
AS A PERFORMER, ROBERT'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE MATTHEW BOURNE'S LORD OF THE FLIES BALLET, AD CAMPAIGNS, MUSIC VIDEOS, MODELLING ON RUNWAYS AND IN VARIOUS PHOTOSHOOTS, VARIOUS GIGS WITH A.N.D.S AND MANY LOCAL PRODUCTIONS. HE IS AN AWARD WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER AND AS A TEACHER, ROBERT HAS CHOREOGRAPHED NUMEROUS MUSICALS FOR INITIAL STAGES, GOULBURN VALLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND NOTRE DAME COLLEGE.
OUTSIDE WORK
ROBERT ALSO THRIVES IN DESIGN AND PROMOTION, WORKING ALONGSIDE AMY TO CREATE AND EDIT POSTERS, PROGRAMS, DANCE FILMS, CONCERT PROJECTIONS, MERCH AND THE WEBSITE AT A.N.D.S.
DESIGN
TEACHER & ASSISTANT: Emilie Harrison
EMILIE BEGAN AT A.N.D.S. IN 2010 IN JAZZ AND LATER HIP HOP 2012. AS OF 2017 EMILIE JOINED THE ANDS STAFF EMILIE ASSISTS AMY WITH RECEPTION & TEACHES AND CHOREOGRAPHS MULTIPLE CLASSES IN SHEPPARTON AND NUMURKAH. SHE WAS AWARDED THE EXCELLENCE AWARD IN 2014, AS WELL AS THE 10 YEAR DEDICATION AWARD IN 2019. EMILIE IS A MEMBER OF ADV HIP HOP, ADV JAZZ/CON, OPEN ACRO, OPEN BALLET & OPEN TAP.
EMILIE IS ALSO A VOCALIST AND HAS BEEN SINGING AND TRAINING SINCE SHE WAS 10. EMILIE PERFORMED AS A DANCER FOR KATY PERRY AT THE THE WOMENS T20 WORLD CUP CRICKET 2020 FINAL AT THE MELBOURNE MCG. SHE HAS ALSO PERFORMED REGIONALLY IN SHEPPARTON, GATHERINGS, STAG, IN A.N.D.S. SHOWS AND FOR CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT 2016 & 2017.
EMILIE HAS PERFORMED IN GIGS AND DRAG SHOWS, GLAMOUR PARTY AND DANCE FILMS. IN 2016 SHE WAS AN EXTRA IN THE MOVIE "SPIN OUT" THAT WAS FILMED IN SHEPPARTON. SHE ALSO APPEARED IN TAYLOR HENDERSON'S MUSIC VIDEO "LIGHT UP THE DARK" WHICH WAS FILMED ON THE SET OF "SPIN OUT".
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TEACHER & ASSISTANT: Annabelle Sneyd
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ANNABELLE BEGAN AT ANDS IN 2008 IN HIP HOP AND LATER JAZZ 2012. ANNABELLE JOINED THE ANDS STAFF 2017-2018 BEFORE SHE WAS TO HEAD OFF TO USA TO TEACH DANCE AT SCHOOL CAMPS. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS POSTPONED AND ANNABELLE HAS RETURNED TO TEACH FOR US AGAIN. SHE WAS AWARDED THE A.N.D.S. JNR DANCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2011, AS WELL AS THE 10 YEAR DEDICATION AWARD IN 2017.
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ANNABELLE HAS ALSO BEEN ACCEPTED AND IS CURRENTLY TRAINING IN ROBERT STURROCKS FULL TIME TRAINING COURSE. ANNABELLE TEACHES AND CHOREOGRAPHS MULTIPLE CLASSES IN SHEPPARTON AND NUMURKAH.
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ANNABELLE HAS ALSO PERFORMED REGIONALLY IN SHEPPARTON, IN OUR SHOWS AND MANY OTHER GIGS SUCH AS CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT 2016 & 2017, DRAG SHOWS, GLAMOUR PARTY AND DANCE FILMS. SHE HAS ALSO COMPETED REGIONALLY IN COMPETITIONS, PLACING IN SOLOS, DUOS AND TROUPES. ANNABELLE HAS HAD 11 YRS OF BALLET TRAINING PRIOR TO A.N.D.S., BUT SPECIALISES IN HIP HOP, JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY.
TEACHER & ASSISTANT: Mariah Tejones
MARIAH BEGAN DANCING WITH A.N.D.S. IN 2011 AT THE AGE OF 8 IN BOTH JAZZ AND HIP HOP. WHEN AMY WAS INJURED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD IN 2013 MARIAH SHOWED GREAT DISCIPLINE AND INITIATIVE ASSISTING HER DURING CLASS.
IN 2015 AMY OFFERED HER A ROLE AS JNR DANCE ASSISTANT MAKING HER THE FIRST TO RECEIVE THIS ROLE SINCE AMY'S SISTERS WERE THAT AGE. MARIAH TEACHES AND CHOREOGRAPHS FOR MULTIPLE CLASSES IN SHEPPARTON AND NUMURKAH. SHE WAS AWARDED A.N.D.S. JNR DANCER OF THE YEAR IN 2012. MARIAH IS A MEMBER OF OUR ADV HIP HOP/COMMERCIAL AND ADV JAZZ/CONTEMPORARY CLASSES.
SHE HAS PERFORMED IN MANY DEMONSTRATIONS, SHOWS AND COMPETED IN DANCE COMPS REGIONALLY, PLACING IN SOLOS, DUOS, TRIOS AND GROUPS. MARIAH WAS ALSO A FINALIST IN MISS TEEN GALAXY AUSTRALIA. ​
TEACHER & ASSISTANT: Vienna Battista
VIENNA BEGAN DANCING WITH ANDS IN 2010 AT THE AGE OF 7 IN HIP HOP, AND LATER JAZZ/CONTEMPORARY IN 2015. AS OF 2020 VIENNA HAS JOINED OUR ANDS STAFF. SHE HAS TAUGHT AND ASSISTED MULTIPLE CLASSES AND WORKED ON RECEPTION THIS YEAR.
VIENNA WAS AWARDED THE A.N.D.S. DANCER OF THE YEAR IN 2014, AND 10 YEAR DEDICATION AWARD IN 2019. VIENNA IS A MEMBER OF ADV HIP HOP AND ADV JAZZ/CONTEMPORARY CLASSES.
VIENNA HAS COMPETED IN DANCE COMPS REGIONALLY PLACING IN SOLOS, DUOS & TROUPES. VIENNA HAS PERFORMED IN MANY DANCE DEMOS & PERFORMANCES FOR A.N.D.S. & HAS VOLUNTEERED MANY YEARS, HELPING WITH WORKING BEES, WORKSHOPS AND CONCERT WORK, COSTUMING, AND SHOWED GREAT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES WHEN DOING WORK EXPERIENCE WITH AMY IN 2019.