Fresh new dance school in Ōmokoroa and Katikati
Avibrant hub of dance and performance culture has arrived for young locals in Ōmokoroa and Katikati.
Brooke Smith and Tina Halliwell (affectionately known as ‘Teens’) are extremely proud and excited to introduce the Diamond Studios to the Ōmokoroa and Katikati communities.
Brooke’s dance journey began at the tender age of two when she started tap dancing under the tutelage of her grandmother and mother. Their family established studio of 28 years, Fulton School of Dance, was formerly based in Auckland.
Brooke attained teaching diplomas in tap, jazz, and ballet through Theatrical Dance International and made the decision to pursue a career in full-time dance education. Brooke has continued to work as a dance educator for over 17 years, training dancers across all ages and multiple genres, many of whom have attained awards both nationally and internationally.
Tina has been dancing since the age of six. She trained at the NZ School of Dance as a Contemporary major, and has been lucky enough to have a wealth of dance and teaching opportunities in her dance career to date. She has danced for the Canterbury Crusaders, starred in Bollywood films, and hit the stage internationally in South Africa and the United States. Tina has had a lengthy teaching career at a number of schools and dance schools throughout New Zealand, teaching both recreational and competitive level dancers of all ages and genres since the age of 19.
After years of teaching and performing, Brooke and Tina have decided to join forces and create a progressive, cohesive dance school that offers everything a large school has, in these two ever-evolving, and growing, communities.
“We feel very strongly about offering the same quality of dance training for smaller communities. Whether a child wishes to become more confident, learn a solo for a competition, dance as part of a troupe, participate in a show, or complete a dance exam, our passion is to nurture and recognise everybody’s different dance journey”, says Brooke.
Ōmokoroa will boast two nights of dance classes, based at the modern and spacious Sports Pavillion, located at 28 Western Avenue. The Sports Pavillion offers a large dance space with loads of facilities for dancers, as well as for families, with minimal to no travel required. There is plenty of parking, and parents and siblings can enjoy the myriad of facilities that surround including the library, playground, skate park, and sports field.
In the Katikati community, we have secured the Farley Room at the centrally located St Peters Anglican Church, located at 2 Carisbrooke Street. This wonderful venue is near the library and vibrant town centre. The Farley room has a great dance feel about it and is easily accessible to the Katikati community, as well as being handy to the local schools.
“We are so eager to now have an opportunity to watch our wonderful young community members grow not only as dancers, but as strong confident leaders, and future performers. I have been lucky enough to have had a wonderful dance career, and now the joy is truly being able to watch that passion grow within our youngsters. It feels extra sentimental too when you can bring those opportunities to smaller communities as well” says Tina.
Enrolments and registrations can be achieved by visiting the website www.diamondstudios.co.nz