Meet our Teachers

Talofa!
I’m Mickey, and I’ve been involved with RASA for a couple of years. I first joined as an intern under the amazing @alieshakemp_ for a University of Otago humanities paper, and now I teach Contemporary on Thursdays!
In 2023, I graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Performing Arts, specialising in Musical Theatre, and I’m currently working towards my Master’s to become a high school Drama and Dance teacher.
My dance journey started at the age of 11 in my hometown, Invercargill, where I took up competitive tap dancing. My true passion for dance didn’t blossom until I attended a Contemporary workshop with @blackgracedanceco when I was 13. From there, I picked up Contemporary, Ballet, and Jazz.
I’ve been blessed with so many amazing opportunities through dance, including performing with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and competing at PACANZ. I’ve performed in many musical theatre productions in both Invercargill and Dunedin and have been part of the Dunedin Fringe Festival for the last three years, most recently performing with @motionsicknessdance.
I’m absolutely loving teaching so many amazing dancers this year and (hopefully!) passing on the joy of dance to some incredible tamariki.

Mauri ora koutou, ko Thomas tōku ingoa.

My dance journey started in Welly as an uncoordinated Pākehā teenager. I started dancing in studios and then joined a crew called Hopskotch, falling in love with hiphop choreography, freestyling, and battling. I am now a part of a crew called Projekt Team. These guys hail from different dance backgrounds and live all over the country and some all over the world.

I specialise in freestyle and battling but have also created some awesome shows and performances. Other parts of my dance journey have included studying at Excel School of Performing Arts for 2 years - hiphop, contemporary and jazz. Krump in Welly with all the dancers in CapCity. Dancing and teaching at Anomaly Studios for 4 years, during which time we went to HHU Worlds and placed 3rd. Finally, I moved down to Ōtepoti and have been at Rasa since 2022 and started teaching in 2023.

Hiphop is such a vital element for my wellbeing and I have been lucky enough to learn from some of the best. I love passing on what I have learned, but also learning from all the dancers I’ve met at Rasa, young and old, experienced or just beginning, you can learn from anybody. I genuinely just enjoy dancing and sharing space with others. Looking forward to jamming with everyone this year!

Kia ora, I’m Mona!

I started dancing in 2017 when I took up Hip Hop classes as an after-school activity in high school. From there, my love for dancing began and I then auditioned for my school competition crew that went to Nationals. In 2018, eager to further my dance training, I joined Rasa and was keen to get myself involved in a range of syllabuses, extension classes, and genres such as Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, and Contemporary. I have completed the Hip Hop APDA Urban Ignition and RBM syllabuses, as well as gained scholarship in NZAMD. I have had some awesome experiences through dance - in 2019 I went to Nationals with my Rasa crew, in 2021 I had the opportunity to dance in a professional squad with Otago Dancers, and I have been performing with Rasa Dance Company (RDC) since 2020.

I started training to be a teacher in 2020, and have had awesome opportunities to teach a range of age groups - I love seeing student’s confidence in their skills and passion for dance progress throughout the year, and I look forward to this year of dancing and teaching.