Teachers | bdi13

BDI TEACHERS!

Santina Rigano -Director/Choreographer/Teacher

Santina began dancing at the age of 3 years old when her mother purely was trying to find an outlet for Santina that would continue on throughout her growing up, so that she could keep her “off the streets.” That it did! Her training started with Ballet, Tap and Jazz where she completed all of her RAD exams through to teacher exams as well as completing her SACE 1 and 2 Dance cores subjects in year 11 and 12. Santina then found her interest in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Latin where she became a full time dance teacher in a variety of styles, coached National hip hop champions for 3 years in a row, all whilst performing in her own crew.

Santina continued to develop her love and passion for dance by constantly seeking to work with different choreographers/teachers and attending workshops from around the world to intensify her knowledge and improve on her ability to create unique choreography. When asked, Santina can’t pin- point the individual artist who really became an inspiration for her. Instead she mentions that her love for dancing and the ability to express yourself throughout it really became the inspiration behind what she loves to do. “Being able to create something from listening to the beats of a track is one of the most amazing, fulfilling things.” On top of this, being able to teach her knowledge to anyone willing to learn about beats, and rhythms, not just counts, is something that Santina prides herself in being able to do. Santina enjoys to learn about each individual student, child or adult, and tries to portray their personalities throughout their dance, whilst building a confident, safe and fun environment.
“ I look forward to being able to work with each and every one of you through your dance journey, whether it be for fun or to participate in a crew. Get ready to get down and dance to the beat of the music.”

Alana Tedesco - Active After School Workshops and Hip Hop

My beginnings in dance were in Hip Hop at the age of 10 with Groovexone Hip Hop Dance Studio. What started out as a hobby became a passion for dance. I won the Groovexone Student of the Year award in 2008, 2009 and 2010 which lead to the start of student teaching in 2009. I made the transition to the teaching faculty in 2011 and continue to teach classes ranging from ages 8 to 16.

I have completed SACE Stage 1 & 2 Dance and after graduating high school in 2011 I went on to study dance full time at Gravity Dance Studios to attain a Certificate IV in dance. My studies included many styles such as Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Breakdance and Hip Hop. Learning all these styles helped with my technique but Hip Hop will always be my passion.
To continue my dance training I attend workshops taught by some of the world’s best choreographers. By attending these workshops I not only improve as a dancer, I also better my skills as a choreographer and teacher. I’m able to take everything I learn, teach it to my students and watch them grow as dancers, which is something that I love.

Tiffany Welden-Iley - Yoga All levels

Yoga to me is like a warm sunny day… a blissful sensation.

After being introduced to Bikram yoga four years ago, i was immediately addicted., especially to the heat. I finally found an avenue i could use the knowledge i gained from my sports science degree, as lets face it, I'm hopeless at catching a ball! I recently completed my Hot yoga teacher training this year, and have participated in a range of yoga classes and styles both nationwide and internationally. I have to say, yoga in Norweigan proved quite interesting to say the least! I have an extensive background in the performing arts and have been a dance teacher for six years. These experiences has been an advantage in the transition to yoga and as an instructor. I aim for the students participating in my classes to find a holistic benefit from the practice, a physical and mental detox. As i engage the class with a theme or idea i hope this provides a thought-provoking motivation both on and off the mat. Whether you are elastic band flexible or stiff as a nail, my yoga classes are scaled by providing options to make sure each and every students receives the amazing benefits from their practice. See you on the mat.

Kayla Hamilton - Adult Beginner/Intermediate Hip Hop

Kayla has been dancing hiphop for almost two years now and while she has dabbled in many styles, she quickly fell in love with old school hip hop and hip hop foundations and continually is building on her skills. A member of Pure Funk Dance Studios adults competition crew, Pure Magic, she has had the opportunity to compete in World Supremacy Battlegrounds' Adelaide qualifier and is heading over to Sydney in December with her crew to represent SA. Not only this, she has had the opportunity to perform at numerous events such as the Miss V8 Super Cars competition. She is also an active member of K-OTIC crew, a Korean jazz/funk/pop dance team, that performs at numerous local korean events, university culture nights and has been the only Adelaide crew to be chosen to go interstate to compete in numerous Korean Pop dance competitions. While Kayla enjoys dancing in crews though, she is also an active freestyler dancer and while just establishing her career as a dance teacher, she has come so far with passion, drive and a love of hiphop that she is determined to pass onto those who are willing to learn.