FROM DANCING DOTS TO PRE PROFESSIONAL AGES 2+
Dancing Dots and Pre School classes introduce classical ballet in a fun and encouraging way through the use of props, games and music. Through classical ballet movement we enhance their fine motorskills and develop co-ordination and strength as well as boosting confidence and social interaction.
From age 5+ we follow the Royal Academy of Dance Examination Syllabus. The RAD offers an internationally-recognised portfolio of examinations and assessments designed to encourage, motivate and reward students of all ages and abilities, outlining a progressive structure for learning and achievement in dance. We offer both Higher Grades and Major examinations and encourage all ages and abilities to dance.
- As well as offering Syllabus work our students are involved in Open ballet and open Pointe classes
- Progressing Ballet Technique - a pilates based system to develop strength and conditioning
- Yoga Repertoire - both senior and junior
BALLET TEACHERS
Emma McInnes
Director - Ballet, Competitions
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Emma McInne
Director - Ballet, Competition Work
Emma began her dance training in Waihi before moving to DEC in Tauranga to continue with her vocational exams in RAD and BBO ballet Modern Jazz and Tap. During this time she had the opportunity to teach the local dancers of Waihi competition work.
She continued her studies at the London Contemporary Dance School and graduated with a BA (hons) majoring in Contemporary performance and technique.
While living in London Emma began her teacher training mentored by the late Christina Hughes at the British Ballet Organisation where she taught both grades and majors for four years as well as running a small school in North London. She obtained her ABBO and a diploma of teaching specialising in ballet during this time.
In 2006 Emma had the opportunity to choreograph a short Contemporary piece for her small company with fellow dancer and current teacher Katie Quirke for the RESOLUTION 2006 festival.
Her long term friend Saori Ishimaru had moved to NZ and was teaching at SABA so Emma’s transition into the SABA family was easy. She successfully completed her RAD registered teachers status and took over SABA from the legend Valerie Murray in 2012 and hasn’t looked back since.
York Popham
Ballet
READ BIOYork Popham
Ballet
York started dancing at age 3 right here at SABA. She completed all her Royal Academy of Dance exams with Distinction and enjoyed competing in competitions throughout New Zealand and Australia. At 16 she moved to Australia to study at The National College of Dance where she gained a Diploma in Dance Performance and had many more exciting performance opportunities. York then continued her professional training at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Upon returning to NZ she began teaching for SABA while completing the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies earning her teaching registration with the Royal Academy of Dance.
Nicola Searchfield
Ballet
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Nicola Searchfield
Ballet
Nicola trained with Val Murray at SABA until the age of sixteen. In 1984 she gained a Royal Academy of Dance scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School in London. She won the professional prize at the Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland in 1986. She then joined the Royal Ballet Company after dancing the Principal role in Les Rendevous at her graduation performance at the Royal Opera House. She was promoted to First Artist in 1989 and performed in featured and soloist roles for the next twelve years.
Nicola retired from the Royal Ballet Company in 1998 after the birth of her first son.
The same year she retrained as a Pilates instructor and opened her own studio in London.
She graduated with distinction at the Royal Academy of Dance as a professional dance teacher (RAD PDT Dip) in 2005, after which, she was selected to teach at the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in Battersea, London.
In 2006 Nicola returned home and opened Epsom Pilates. Since then, she has adjudicated for the AHA awards and NZ Group Dance Awards and taught at the New Zealand School of Dance. She has judged the RAD scholarship twice and also twice been a second examiner for Solo Seal.
Stuart Cassidy
Ballet
READ BIOStuart Cassidy
Ballet
While still in the Corps de Ballet at the Royal, he made his debut as Romeo in MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet partnering Viviana Durante. Other MacMillan roles include the Salamander in Prince of the Pagodas, Lescaut in Manon, the lead Officer in Mayerling, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the cousin in The Invitation, the Drum Major in Different Drummer. Solyony and Vershinin in Winter Dreams, the Husband and Officer in Anastasia, the man in Las Hermanas, The Judas Tree, Gloria, Concerto, Song of the earth and Requiem. Ashton roles include Colas in La Fille Mal Gardee, the Prince in Cinderella, Daphnis in Daphnis and Chloe, Thaďs Pas de Deux, Les Rendezvous and Les Painters. Balanchine roles include Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Agon, Rubies and Symphony in C. Bintley roles include Christian in Cyrano, Galantries, the Planets.
Other leading roles include Prince Siegfried in Dowell’s production of Swan Lake in which he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House New York, Albrecht in Peter Wright’s production of Giselle, The Prince in DeValois and Dowell’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, Solor in Markarova’s La Bayadčre, Basilio and Espada in Baryshinkov’s Don Quixote, the Prince in Peter Wrights Nutcracker, Jean de Brienne in Nureyev’s Raymonda, Tsarevich in The Firebird, the Rake in DeValois Rakes Progress.
Among his created roles are Glen Tetley’s Amores, Twyla Tharp’s Mr Worldly Wise, Ashley Pages Fearful Symmetries, Two-Part Invention and Renard. In 1999 he left the Royal Ballet to become a founder member of K. Ballet Company, dancing in all of the companies’ performances including Tetsuya Kumakawa’s production of Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, La Bayadčre, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, Cleopatra, Madame Butterfly, Ashton’s Thaďs, Rhapsody and Symphonic Variations, Petit’s Carmen, Bintley’s Flowers of the forest, Dolin’s Variation’s for Four, Christopher Wheeldon’s Pavane, Adam Cooper’s Six Faces
Summer Bradley
Contemporary, Ballet, Lyrical and Troupe
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Summer Bradley
Contemporary, Ballet, Lyrical and Troupe
Summer has been teaching dance since 2018 and joined the SABA family at the start of 2021. Her formal dance qualifications include RAD Advanced Two Ballet and NZAMD Solo Seal Jazz, Contemporary, and Tap.
Summer was the winner of both the Ora Burnett (2017) and the Noel Burnett (2018) major awards at Auckland Caledonian Competition and was a Grounded Battle of the Arts Next Generation choreographer (2017). Summer has been a finalist at PACANZ (2016) and part of the winning MEBA troupe (2016, 2017). She competed at the USASF Dance Worlds in Florida with the MEBA Senior Team winning 3rd in 2015 and 2nd in 2017. In 2020, Summer trained full-time at Village Nation Performing Arts in Sydney, Australia.
She has worked on gigs with Dubai Expo, Kenzo, Harcourts, Human Agency, Momentum Productions, and she is a competition adjudicator. Summer is currently an international fitness presenter and choreographer for Les Mills. She has filmed masterclasses in New Zealand and Shanghai, China. Summer is passionate about being a creative and loves to see young New Zealanders develop their artistic abilities.
Madison Cronin
Ballet
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Madison Cronin
Ballet
Madison is an ex-ballet dancer. She trained pre-professionally in Sydney at Tanya Pearson Academy and upon graduation moved to complete her training at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Netherlands. Over the following two and a half years living in Holland she worked with the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and Netherlands Dance Theatre. Madi had the opportunity to work with and perform works by world renown choreographers in both classical and modern repertoire including Hans van Manen, Jiri Kylian, and Crystal Pite. She also performed the leading role in ballets such as Giselle and Don Quixote. One of Madi’s other career highlights was premiering a new full length neo-classical ballet, Diamante by Katarina Wester, together with Julien Keulen (Swedish National Ballet) which was choreographed for them in 2017.
After a wonderful time overseas Madi returned home to New Zealand at the end of 2018. She is currently completing her Masters of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, alongside which she works as a Producer for dance companies in Auckland, is a Group Fitness Instructor at the University of Auckland gym, and choreographs her own contemporary ballet works throughout New Zealand.
Nicole Parry
Ballet and Contemprorary
READ BIONicole Parry
Ballet and Contemprorary
Nicole began dancing later in life at the age of 15. From then on, it became a pillar in her life. During her University years, she joined the Otago Dancers, performing at various corporate and sporting events. She represented NZ at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, coming away with 4 silver medals in dance.
She moved to Australia to continue her training and studied Performing Arts at ED5 International. After graduating, she worked as a dancer, performing for TV and corporate events such as The Voice Australia, Australian Health Aid Gala and the Arnotts Foundation Gala. She returned to NZ in 2021 and became a certified Barre, Mat and Reformer Pilates Instructor.
Nicole is passionate about dance and fitness and is excited to share her knowledge with SABA.
Madison Fotti-Knowles
Ballet and Contemporary
READ BIOMadison Fotti-Knowles
Ballet and Contemporary
Originally from New Zealand, Madison is a Bolshoi Ballet Academy alumna and ex-national rhythmic gymnast trained under Olga Rudin. She is the first New Zealander to have ever studied at the Academy. She has since performed with New York Dance Project, Boston City Ballet, and most recently with Russian National ballet as a soloist on their 2019/2020 tour through Europe. Madison was featured in the gala “Russian Ballet Stars - Mariinsky and Beyond”, dancing principal roles alongside world-renowned dancers including Mariinsky Ballet soloist Alexandra Iosifidi. She has extensive experience in RAD Ballet, repertoire, Pilates and integrative flexibility/strength coaching for dancers. Madison has trained with master pedagogues including Elena Bobrova, Georgi Gusev, Svetlana Ivanova, Maria Sizova, and Tatiana Linnik. Madison is an experienced elite training coach with over 9 years of experience.
For details please email emma@saba.co.nz
My daughter started dancing with Saba as a Dancing Dot. 5 years later and she is loving every single minute of dancing with Saba. She is normally an anxious child but with the confidence ballet has given her, you wouldn’t know it to meet her today. The teachers and other pupils are all so supportive and encouraging. From lessons, to exams and stage shows - the limits are endless.
Tracey
My kids love SABA! Attending ballet is the highlight of their week - both my daughter and son love their teacher and always come out of class buzzing. As a parent, I love that the class sizes are at a level where they can provide guidance to each individual and the level of professional knowledge all the teachers have about developing not only a lifelong passion for dance but also providing a great programme that will set them up if they want to take dancing further in the future.
Katrina
Our two daughters have both been dancing with SABA since they were preschoolers. The SABA teachers have fostered such a strong love of dance in them. The girls have enjoyed the variety of classes on offer and they have always been encouraged to not only progress their skills but also try new things and do their best. This has given them a great confidence in all aspects of their lives. SABA sets high standards but also provides a friendly and welcoming environment.
Emma H
Great new location at 382/386 Manakau Rd. I especially like being able to drop off the kids safely. Designated parking is fantastic to stop in an view the girl's lessons through enormous studio windows. Amazing teachers who really enjoy their roles.
Rachel Smith