WORLD

  • SAMBA / SALSA


    For Mandy, dance was a much loved hobby until she was employed at a Brazilian Theatre Restaurant in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in Oct 2006. Here she was trained in the unique style of Latin American movement, including Samba, Salsa, Afro, Axe & Lambada. With 4 solid years of dance performance experience, she now trains the dancers for the theatre show – teaching choreography and styling.

    In 2010, Mandy won the Salsa Solo Competition Team Category with her crew “Risque” debuting in Sydney with a new fusion of Hip Hop & Salsa that won them the 2010 title.

    Because of her background in Latin dance, Mandy decided to become a Zumba Instructor to inject a bit of her dance passion & energy into her students as health and fitness are also a big motivation in her life.

    “What does dance mean to you?”

    For me dance is totally personal ~ it is my passion because it makes me feel free & full of energy, life and emotion. It is not to judge or compare… but to be yourself and just let loose, have fun and shine!

    “What do you love about teaching?”

    Zumba is very high energy & not too structured or technical – so for Zumba I love to see my students going crazy and having fun, smiling and screaming and wildness!

    The music is very motivating too so I try to keep the moves fun & fresh. Once I see smiling & laughing during my class I feel I have achieved my purpose for that session.

    “What do you love about MDH?”

    The “dance culture” I feel when entering the building & see in the students and teachers. Everyone is there for the same thing – to have fun, to move & train & enjoy their passion for dance. Everyone is super friendly but also in their own “dance world” striving to learn & reach their goals, sharing their love & passion for the same thing & filling the class with good vibes – so it becomes very motivating & addictive!

  • AFRO FUSION


    ”My name is Melissa. I’m a Zimbabwean born Afro dancer/ choreographer. I specialise in the various Afro dance styles inclusive of Afrohouse and afrofusion.

    Afrofusion is a combination of Afro dance styles. I pariticularly focus on the styles from the south of Africa including amapiano dance, which is a new and upcoming style .

    I’m a competitive dancer but when I’m not competing I’m either performing or sharing my knowledge by teaching the African styles and flavours that come within the Afro dance genre.

    Afro is definitely my whole heart and identity however I also have influence from the dancehall genre and hip hop which creates some of the fusions I teach!”

  • KPOP CHOREO


    Anuki has been dancing since she was 2 years old, starting out with traditional and classical styles such as Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Kandyan and Bharatanatyam, consistently training in these styles well into university life. She started delving into hip hop in high school and after discovering Street Groove (@street_groove) in 2015, she's stuck with them ever since. Being in Street Groove has given her so many opportunities to level up as both a dancer and a choreographer, learning and loving so many foundations of dance as well as creating so many connections to the wider dance community. She eventually joined Hood Dance Academy later in 2020, which helped further her dance journey even more. Anuki has most recently directed the successful annual Street Groove showcase 'Find Your Groove' in 2022, and has also directed two Asian-pop focused showcases 'QUINTESSENCE' in 2021 and 2022 for the QUT Asian Pop Society.

    Her dance passion is also fuelled by her love for KPOP, learning major hits on her own for years until eventually forming her own team called Cider Dance (@ciderdance) in 2015 to learn KPOP choreography and even do their own little projects from time to time, all uploaded to their YouTube channel. She wanted to spread the love of KPOP dance to more people in our community, and as a founding member of QUTAPS (@qutapsofficial), she started offering KPOP dance classes at beginner levels so anyone could learn their favourite choreographies in a fun and safe environment. These classes have been successfully running to this day since 2017! Since then she has directed three successful dance showcases (both choreography and kpop focused), has entered many KPOP dance competitions with her team Cider Dance (including the annual 'KPOP World Festival' in Sydney representing QLD, Crossover Dance KPOP Summit, K-Cover Dance Festival, etc.), and has performed with Cider as one of the main acts in the 'Aussie Kpoppers United Concert' which run as part of the annual BrisAsia festivals.

    Anuki's personal dance style is a culmination of everything she's learned since day one of her own dance journey, with a heavy influence from hip hop and house foundations. She takes inspiration from everyone around her and purely dances for the sake of having fun. Hope everyone will enjoy the class!

  • DANCEHALL All Levels

    Immersed in Dancehall culture since a very young age, Whitney has always been passionate about Dancehall music, moves, fashion and every aspect that represents the culture. She started training Dancehall in France in 2012 for a couple of years with Audrey Bosc.

    After landing in Australia in 2016, Whitney decided to train and specialise in Dancehall at the beginning of 2020. Since then, she has been mentored by Nadiah Nfuzion, who helped her understand and connect to Dancehall on a deeper level.

    Whitney is beyond excited to share her passion with everyone, so come and party!