Passionate and experienced dance teachers

Besides being qualified and experienced teachers and performers, all our staff hold first-aid certificates, Working With Children checks and insurance. We are passionate about our art-form and aim to inspire and encourage our students in every lesson. Besides our core team, we have regular special guests, who have danced with The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and prestigious international dance companies. All our staff are not only experienced and passionate teachers, but have gone on to careers as professional dancers and performers. Read all about our teachers here.

Miss Rain's qualifications include:
* Diploma of Dance Teaching & Management (ATOD)
* Diploma of Dance Performance (NZSD)
* 15+ years international experience as a performer, choreographer and teacher
* Royal Academy of Dance up to and including Advanced
* Working With Children Check
* Police Check
* Level 2 First Aid & CPR

RACHAEL McGOWAN, Ballet
RAD Examiner, BA (Hons) Ballet Education, RAD RTS, LRAD (1&2), Cert IV Pilates (PAA)

Originally from England, Rachael graduated from the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Ballet Education degree program and the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance at the Academy’s headquarters in London, England. Whilst studying here, Rachael had the opportunity to work as an assistant alongside world-renowned Royal Academy of Dance Examiners and Teachers as part of the Dance School. Rachael has gone on to teach throughout the UK, Canada, America and now Australia, successfully preparing hundreds of students, both children and adults, for RAD examinations as well as training dancers for full time vocational schools, youth companies and associate programs. Rachael specialises in teaching the vocational levels and teaching adults.

Choreography, especially for large events, makes up a significant part of Rachael’s work and she has had the privilege of working with a live orchestra for both the 2011 and 2012 Proms in the Meadow. Rachael has also choreographed for festivals and eisteddfods, charity events and more recently full length classical productions as Ballet Mistress for a Canadian youth company.

Having sustained a serious injury, Rachael has since developed a passion for Dance Science and now also teaches practical based Anatomy and Physiology classes to her students. Rachael is a qualified Mat and Reformer Pilates instructor as well as a qualified teacher of the Progressing Ballet Technique program. Rachael regularly attends courses with Lisa Howell, The Australian Ballet and IADMS, strongly believing that as teachers, our responsibility is to prepare dancers not just for the current season but for a life time of dance. Rachael has been a member of the RAD Victorian Tasmanian panel since 2015. In June 2018 Rachael was appointed to the Panel of RAD Examiners, examining throughout Australia and internationally.

GERALDINE LETT, ‘Pathway’ Classical Ballet Extension Program
Geraldine began her dance training at the age of six with Lorraine Blackburn and became one of the first 100 students in Victoria to win a place at the Victorian College of the Arts. She studied further at the Australian Ballet School and the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts under the guidance of Dame Peggy van Prague and Lucette Aldous, completing a Bachelor in Performing Arts. She was one of a few to then win a contract with the West Australian Ballet and here continued her love of movement and the development of creation and choreography. In the company she danced many leading roles and also had many roles created for her. Geraldine also created her first work for the West Australian Ballet. Her career took her to the One Extra Dance and Theatre Company in Sydney and on to New York and London. Geraldine then joined the prestigious Dance Company of Cologne, Germany with Jochen Ulrich where she remained for twelve years. Her dance development continued in the form of teaching and choreography as she became a lecturer in modern dance and choreography at Cologne’s school of Dance and Music. Upon her return to Australia in 2005, Geraldine has continued to teach and coach aspiring young dancers in both elite and company levels and also to choreograph for DanceBourne Arts and Melbourne Dance Theatre. Geraldine’s many years of travel, performance and industry experience allow her to share a wealth of knowledge and passion with today’s gifted young dancers.

ALEXANDRA CAMERON-MARTIN, Adult Ballet
Born in Hong Kong, Alexandra trained at the Australian Ballet School for six years and then was privately coached before moving to London to dance professionally with the English National Ballet, New English Ballet Theatre, Peter Schaufuss ballet and performed sold out performances with Sergei Polunin and Natalia Osipova at the Sadlers Wells Theatre before moving to Scandinavia to dance with the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Norwegian National Ballet. With the Norwegian National Ballet Alexandra performed soloist roles in In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Le Coirsaire, La Bayadere and new creations performed by the company. Alexandra has performed works by Rudolf Nureyev, Marius Petipa, Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Serge Lifar and John Cranko to name a few. During her time in London Alexandra was a guest teacher at the Danceworks and the Danceworks International Ballet Academy where she taught their senior students and also lead a summer school for adult ballet. Alexandra was also a freelance ballet teacher for many open classes for students and adults in London, Stockholm and Oslo.

ELISE DRINKWATER, Jazz & Contemporary
Elise graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Dance. During this time Elise received the Friends of VCA, Beleura John Tallis Award for Excellence in 2009 and 2011. Since graduating Elise has performed both in Australia and abroad for Opera Australia, 2nd Toe
Dance Collective, Shelley Lascia and Schall & Schnabel (GER). Elise has been teaching dance for over 10 years and is also a certified mat Pilates instructor. Elise loves to share her passion for movement with her students and her classes encourage individuality and artistic expression.

Miss Elise's qualifications include:
* Bachelor of Dance, University of Melbourne
* Certificate IV Mat Pilates
* Royal Academy of Dancing Advanced 2
* Level 2 First Aid and CPR
* Working with Children Check
* 10+ years international experience as a performer and teacher

DEAN ROBINSON, Musical Theatre, Jazz & Tap

Dean began dancing at the age of 15 at Michelle Rae School of Dance and then went onto train at SHOWFIT: A Musical Theatre Initiative full-time for two years. Dean has performed in an array of different productions including Moments (Melb Fringe 19), As You Like It (In The Park Productions), Heathers (GJ Productions), The Date (Melb Fringe 18), DRAGGED (Midsumma 2018), A Chorus Line (CLOC Music Theatre). Dean has been a featured dancer in the short films About The Method of Living (Conor O’Brien) and Spinneret (Natasha Cantwell) and choreographed productions such as Wicked, Guys and Dolls, Godspell
(Nova Music Theatre) and Little Miss Sunshine (Fab Nobs). Dean has worked as a Producer on Blackrock, Best In Snow, DreamSong, Open Heart and The Date, the last two he also wrote. Dean has a passion for
helping children learn the joy of movement and music.

LAURA TREVOR, Ballet & Tap
Born in Cairns, Laura trained at Mulgrave Valley Dance Academy under principal Kathy Harris. At the age of 15, Laura was invited to study on scholarship at the Sheila Laing Dance Centre in Adelaide, where she was awarded the Royal Academy of Dance Solo Seal. Following this, Laura was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Genée International Ballet Competition held in Sydney.  Continuing her full time dance training at West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, she gained exposure to the Russian method of ballet and graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Dance. Laura danced principal roles with Tasmanian Classical Ballet Company in Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and toured internationally with Event Theatre Australia. Back in Australia, Laura danced with Leigh Warren & Dancers and West Australian Ballet. A founding member of Mod Dance Company, Laura performed in Graeme Murphy’s Suite Synergy and was featured in the Australian film – Beautiful. Most recently, Laura has been dancing with Opera Australia in many of their renowned productions, and has been sharing her love of movement as a dance instructor for the young through to the young at heart!

Miss Laura's qualifications include:
* Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts - Dance (WAAPA)
* 10 + years international experience as a performer and teacher
* RAD Ballet - Solo Seal
* ISTD Modern (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing)
* ISTD Tap
* Stott Pilates - Matwork
* Working With Children Check
* First Aid Level 2

LOUKIA VASSILIADES, Drama

Loukia Vassiliades feels at home performing and in recent years sharing her passion and experience with young people. She holds a Bachelor of Arts - Drama and Advanced Diploma of Alexander Technique Teaching. In the past she has facilitated workshops for ArtPlay Victoria, visited The Drama School as a specialist teacher and taught home school families. She is currently devising new workshops for the 2020 ArtPlay program, teaching at The Drama School and is super excited to join the Rain and Lucky team.

SOPHIA BLACKBURN, Singing
Miss Sophia holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts, an Advanced Diploma in Creative Arts Therapy and is the director of her very own children’s entertainment company. She is an accomplished musical theatre performer and deviser of children’s theatre, and has been a music teacher in various schools around Melbourne, including Epping High School and North Coburg Primary.