Johan Dippenaar - Guest Teacher
Johan Dippenaar was born in Walvisbaai Namibia and grew up in Pretoria where he started Latin and Ballroom at the age of 14 and competing internationally at the age of 15. Soon after came various titles such as SA and Gauteng champ, Final 6 German open and Final 16 Blackpool England.
Johan only started his formal classical training at the age of 19 and graduated from TUT with a National Diploma in Dance, after which he performed with various Professional Dance Companies such as Mzanzi Productions and TDT (Tshwane Dance Theatre) working with local and International Choreographers such as Timothy le Roux, Celeste Botha, Andile Sotiya, Somizi Mhlongu, Debbie Rakkusin and the lead role in French Choreographer Rheda Benteifour’s production of Rheda’s Giselle and Crash Dance.
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Recently he has appeared in big local productions such as ‘Afrikaans is groot’ and most recent the television program “Dancing with the Stars” Season 1. As an aspiring photographer, filmmaker and Entrepreneur he is always using multiple platforms to push his creative boundaries in everything he does.
Joanne Liebenberg - Guest Teacher
I started home-schooling at the age of 15 so I could train at a high-performance level together with academic support from tutors to prepare me to write my AS Level Cambridge International Examinations.
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I passed my first Associate examination at 16, with distinction, obtaining my first diploma in Performing Arts. The same year I also joined my first company (Chace Dance Company, CDC), run by University of the Arts Philadelphia graduate, Tamra Chace. I then went on to obtain another two diplomas in Musical Theatre, passing with distinction, as well as Modern Dancing where I was the Top achiever for my Solo Performers. By the age of 17, I had obtained 3 diplomas!
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During High School, I represented my country, South Africa for 5 years in a row traveling to the World Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Showdance Championships in Germany, Poland, Portugal as well as America as my country’s Title Dancer in the American Dance Awards.
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After High School I went on to study Dance and Musical Theatre at the Waterfront Theatre College in the beautiful city of Cape Town. I was awarded ‘Best Female Dancer’ in my first year as well as obtained my ISTD Modern Diploma achieving 100% for the exam. Whilst dancing and singing in their shows, I taught as well as choreographed in the full-time Program winning ‘Best Modern Choreography. I went on to graduate only after a year.
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I was beyond excited to have been accepted in the Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Centre Fall 2017 in New York City dancing with some of the best and most inspiring choreographers and teachers. This is where I ended my dance studies preparing myself for the professional industry.
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My first professional dance contract started shortly after I arrived home in South Africa from NYC in early 2018. I was headhunted whilst at college in Cape Town and cast as the Lead dancer in the show, ‘Another Day’ at the Kalk Bay Theatre in Cape Town. This show included a wide variety of dance genres including adagio.
A few days after the contract ended, I was flown to Miami to start rehearsals as a dancer for Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship ‘Voyager of the Seas’.
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I auditioned whilst living in NYC, it was a dream come true receiving a contract from the best cruise ship company in the world. I performed in two of their production shows- ‘Broadway’s Rhythm and Rhyme’ and ‘Music in Pictures’ where we sailed and traveled all over South East Asia.
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I am currently home in Johannesburg training, dancing in corporates and gigs and teaching open classes.
In April, Royal Caribbean will be flying me to Miami to start rehearsing for my second cruise ship contract on ‘Radiance of the Seas’. I will be performing in 3 of their production shows, ‘City of Dreams’, ‘Tango Buenos Ares’ and ‘Piano Man’ where we will be sailing, traveling and performing all over Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand.
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I’m extremely grateful and feel truly blessed that my life as a dancer and dream to ultimately make dance my career is panning out more incredibly than I could have ever imagined.
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Elizabeth MacConachie
RAD Registered Graded and Vocational ballet teacher
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Elizabeth MacConachie started dancing when she was four years old. She trained in the Cecchetti method and passed all her exams up until and including Advanced. As a child, she danced and performed with the Johannesburg Youth Ballet company from 1978 – 1983. During this time, she travelled extensively all over South Africa performing with the company as well as representing South Africa in 1981 to tour and dance in Taiwan. When she matriculated, she attended UCT Ballet School where she obtained a University Diploma in ballet and a Student Teacher’s Certificate to train in the Royal Academy of Dancing method. On returning to Johannesburg in 1988, she completed her Cecchetti Teachers certificate whilst teaching ballet for the department of Coloured Affairs at a school in Geluksdal, near Brakpan. Liz was awarded her full RAD Teaching Certificate in 1990. Liz bought “To The Pointe” ballet studio in 1990 from a ballet teacher who relocated to Cape Town. At this time, she also ran the Lenasia Ballet School for five years until her first child was born.
She became fully registered with the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1992. She has run a successful ballet studio (“To The Pointe”) in Fontainebleau for 23 years and has approximately 90 students, ranging from a babies class through to Advanced 2 level. In 2011, Liz bought the dance studio from Janine du Plessis and this became the second “To The Pointe” dance studio. The studio has grown from strength to strength and between both studios we offer a wide range of classes on each level of the RAD syllabi. She has three assistant ballet teachers that teach with her. She is also a mentor for students who wish to train for the Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies in the RAD ballet method.
Liz is also teaches Dance Studies as a 8th subject, three Dance Studies students matriculated in 2013. The results were fantastic – 2 of her 1st students achieved distinctions and 1 student received a B aggregate. Liz enters the pupils into RAD ballet exams each year and also produces an annual studio show at the Joburg Pro Muscia theatre.
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