Janine Tirant
Principal
Janine, the founder of the studio, has been teacher and choreographer to the very successful
Performance Plus Dance Centre for over 25 years which has flourished to become the biggest studio in Ipswich
as well as a reputable name in the South East Queensland dance community.
She earned her Teachers Diploma through the CSTD in 1999 and has been putting her students through examinations and eisteddfod work with outstanding results ever since.
Janine has travelled to the United States with her students on many occasions to perform at
Disneyland, Disney World and take classes in Orlando, New York and LA.
Janine has adjudicated interstate and is often a guest choreographer throughout Brisbane & North Qld. She has been the choreographer for the opening of the annual CSTD Convention, held at QPAC, for a number of years and most recently was involved in updating the CSTD Tap Syllabus alongside Sandra Breen OAM and Sharee Stirling.
She is passionate about dance and is very proud of what her studio and students have achieved in the last 20 years. Students have gone on to have professional dance careers, including roles in
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Brisbane season, Annie - Brisbane season, Matilda - Sydney season,
La Fille Mal Gardee & Nutcracker - Queensland Ballet, 'The Mini Marilyn' - touring, Paw Patrol - touring live show,
'So You Think You Can Dance', cruise ships and represent Australia at the 2010, 2014 & 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Many of her students have gained their qualifications and are teaching dance
or studying dance & performing arts full time.
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DANCING
Amy-Lee Dionysius
Jazz, Tap, Adult Classes, Pilates, Jazz Extension , Lyrical , Contemporary , Classical Ballet & Performance Team
Amy-Lee started dancing at the age of three and throughout her training she has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Contemporary. She has her Advanced One in RAD ballet and her Grade 8 in CSTD Tap and Jazz. In her last two years of high school she was accepted into the Queensland Dance School of Excellence in Brisbane where she graduated with a Diploma of Dance. She was then accepted into Patrick Studios Australia in Melbourne where she completed two years of full time dance training. During those two years of full time Amy-Lee also performed professionally in ‘Cabaret de Paris’ and ‘The Ultimate Vegas Show’ at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast. She also worked professionally at many other events in Melbourne including modelling for Lululemon and also the opening of the ‘Emporium’ with Baz Luhrmann who is the director of Moulin Rouge. She then auditioned for Norwegian Cruiseline and Royal Caribbean Cruiseline and was offered a dancer/aerialist contract with both companies. She then went on to work for Royal Caribbean for 5 years, travelling all over the world and performing in a variety of different shows.
Shalyn McComas
Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre & Performance Team
Shalyn is PPDC alumni.
In her 15 years dancing at PPDC she developed a love of performing and a strong interest in dance. This resulted in teaching credentials in the CSTD syllabus in both tap and jazz, and also a completion of the CSTD Intermediate Ballet assessment, with Honours. Shalyn moved to Victoria in 2012 to study at Federation University and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Musical Theatre. During her time at university she performed in a variety of shows, including Spring Awakening, When Midnight Strikes, 42nd Street and Cabaret. Shalyn returned to PPDC to share her love and knowledge of all things theatrical as well as revisiting her roots teaching tap, jazz, ballet and contemporary.
Louise Deleur
Classical Ballet
Givannie Wendt
Jazz, Tap, Classical Ballet , Jazz Extension & Performance Team
Louise is a graduate of the Australian Ballet School and has worked with Sydney Dance Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Australian Opera, WAAPA, and Queensland Ballet Professional Year & Pre-Professional Program.
Louise has been invited on several occasions to the prestigious Prix de Lausanne Competition in Switzerland as a contemporary variation choreographer.
Louise continues to share her experience and knowledge of dance and is currently an associate teacher for Queensland Ballet’s Senior Program.
We are very fortunate to have Louise sharing her wisdom with our intermediate and senior classical classes.
Givannie started dancing at PPDC at the age of 3 and has been trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Contemporary styles.
She has completed her CSTD Grade 9 Jazz, Grade 9 Tap and Grade 5 Contemporary exams.
Givannie has successfully gained her CSTD Tap Teachers Certificate and is currently working towards her CSTD Tap Teachers Diploma. She is also studying a Bachelor of Primary Education at QUT in 2023.
AMIEE RYAN
Jazz, Classical Ballet , Contemporary, Adult Class & Pilates
Amiee began dancing when she was 3 and has been a student teacher since she was 13. She has trained in classical ballet, jazz, tap and contemporary. In 2019 she received her CSTD teachers certificate in classical ballet. Amiee has successfully completed CSTD grade 5 contemporary, grade 9 jazz and advanced ballet, with honours plus for all. She is currently studying for Premier Danseur classical exam.
SAM BRISCOE
Hip Hop
Sam has been dancing at PPDC from the age of 3 and has been a student teacher since the age of 13. Trained in jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and hip hop. Not only has Sam shared her passion for hip hop at the studio but has choreographed successful dance pieces for her school community. Sam has completed her CSTD Grade 9 Jazz Exam, CSTD Grade 9 Tap Exam, and CSTD Urban and New School Hip Hop Exam. Sam is currently studying a Full Time Dance Course at Dynamite Studios Australia.
ROXY DALBY
Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre & Performance Teams
Roxy began dancing at PPDC at age 1 and has been teaching since age 15. In 2022, she received her CSTD Teaching Certificate in Musical Theatre and is currently working towards receiving her CSTD Teaching Certificate in Tap. Roxy is also attending USQ studying a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Performance. She is trained in tap, jazz, ballet and musical theatre and wants to share her passion of theatrics and performing.
AMELIA GIBB
Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Ballet & Performance Teams
Amelia started dancing at the ripe age of two, training in most styles throughout her childhood at Performance Plus Dance Centre. Amelia began her performing arts training at a very young age, completing her Cert III in dance at Dynamite Studios in 2020, which afterward started training full-time dance in 2021 at Dynamite Studios. Amelia has worked at multiple corporate events with Showtime Attractions, such as suit characters and holiday work. Once she turned 18, Amelia then landed her first professional contract with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, dancing onboard Anthem of the Seas. She also then secured a second contract with Royal Caribbean six months later on broad Spectrum of the Seas.
Nicky Pyrgos
Hip Hop
Nicky fell in love with dance at age 6, when she learned Jazz and Ballet. She trained at PPDC and later discovered her passion for Hip Hop. In 2015, she joined the world-renowned dance academy, The HomeBase, which was started by Laurence Kaiwai and Colette Eagle. Nicky has competed at World Of Dance in LA and performed at halftime shows for The Reds Rugby and Brisbane Bullets. She has also trained with famous backup dancers and choreographers such as Chris Brown, Sisqo, Janet Jackson, JLO, and others. Currently, she is studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at QUT and eager to share her skills with the PPDC community!
SINGING
Fiona Cole
Director of Singing
Chelsea Lee
Singing Teacher
ROXY DALBY
Singing Teacher
Fiona has been singing and dancing since she was 3 years old. She studied a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education in both Primary and Secondary schooling at the University of Qld in which she received Honours.
Fiona takes our intermediate and senior performance team singing classes and with her dance background specialises in musical theatre performance routines.
Fiona also teaches private tuition at PPDC with her students going on to perform in musicals such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Having performed her first song and dance solo on stage at the age of three, Chelsea has been involved in the performance industry for many years, both as a soloist and as a member of performance teams. Whilst Chelsea has studied and performed various dance genres including,Tap, Jazz and Ballet, her passion lies within the fusion of song and dance. Her love of dance and singing guided her many performances with PPDC and also her choice of tertiary studies. In 2018 Chelsea graduated with Distinction from QUT with a Bachelor of Music majoring in performance. As a result of her degree, Chelsea extended her performance experience and is better equipped to compose music. After many years of performing and teaching dance with PPDC, Chelsea has recently rejoined the team to share her knowledge and experience with aspiring performers. In addition to teaching the junior performance teams, Chelsea also offers private singing lessons.
Roxy began dancing at PPDC at age 1 and has been teaching since age 15. In 2022, she received her CSTD Teaching Certificate in Musical Theatre and is currently working towards receiving her CSTD Teaching Certificate in Tap. Roxy is also attending USQ studying a Bachelor of Music, majoring in performance. She is trained in tap, jazz, ballet and musical theatre and wants to share her passion of theatrics and performing.
STUDENT TEACHERS
Elissa Hitchman
Tahlia Pardede
Ellianna Wendt
Felicia Abaijah-Griffin
Mae George Addison Ridley
VISIT THE OFFICIAL PPDC WEBSITE:
www.ppdc.net
© 2015 for Performance Plus Dance Centre.
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