Esther Juon Veitch
(principal and owner of Waipawa Dance Centre)
Esther was trained as a classical dancer in Switzerland and in London but at age 18 tragedy struck when she broke her back. After seven long years of operations and disability Esther gradually learned to walk again.
She returned to ballet but this time as a teacher with one major aim – to teach with safety in mind, making sure that what happened to her would not happen to any of her dancers.
Esther has two BBO Teaching Diplomas the latest being achieved in London in 2004.
Before coming to New Zealand Esther had run two ballet schools in England.
The last one was in Brighton where she taught for 20 years. Amazingly 22 of her dancers went on to become professional dancers. Aside from the professional dancers Esther also had a very big adult ballet school and taught 2 adult classes a day. Many of these dancers stayed with her all the way through the British Ballet Organization Syllabus passing all the exams!
Although incredibly proud of her past students’ achievements Esther has a dream of making ballet accessible to anyone with a love of dance and theatre. She loves working with all age groups and her adult classes here in New Zealand are starting to open doors nationally for anyone interested in dance, no matter what their age!
Rebekah Charlton
Rebekah started teaching aerobic classes at 15 years of age, competing nationally in the smokefree school aerobic competitions. Rebekah has more than ten years experience instructing group fitness classes in Step, Pump, Hi & Lo Aerobics, Aqua and Body Balance (Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates). She is an ACC qualified Tai Chi instructor and has been holding successful classes in the Tararua region for over four years.
Rebekah is a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor and Active Living and Wellness Coach trained by Netfit NZ and also has qualifications in Weight Loss Coaching and Movement Integration taught through the Feldenkrais method.
Currently Rebekah works within the Mental Health Service as an Active Living & Wellness Coach and teaches Tai Chi in Dannevirke and Waipawa. She is also studying Sport Nutrition and working towards her Netfit Master Trainer Qualification.
Natalie Ayton
Currently based in Sydney international professional dancer Natalie Ayton is a well known and respected dancer, choreographer and director. She has danced with superstars like Kylie Minogue and Blur, starred in movies and even danced at Olympic ceremonies!
Natalie began her training when she was 3 years old and 30 years later is still passionate about her art. Natalie trained with Esther Juon Veitch for 5 years before choosing to specialise in contemporary dance.
Aside from dancing with various companies, Natalie has been heavily involved in providing dance workshops and training seminars for budding professional dancers, teachers and students, children and those with physical disabilities. She also has a mentoring program for emerging dancers.
Although classically trained, Natalie loves all forms of dance and her ability to connect with her students has created a loyal following globally.
Natalie often joins Esther for pre-exam training of the students of the Waipawa Dance Centre and the school is fortunate to have secured her services for a week long summer school workshop in January 2012.
