EDEN DANCE
INSTITUTE
MEET THE TEAM
EDEN DANCE INSTITUE
OUR TEAM
Teamwork makes the dream work and at EDI we dream big!
Our faculty comprises of carefully selected, mature, innovative and experienced teachers who are passionate and dedicated to teaching young dancers. They are experts in their genres and work hard to ensure the best dance experience and outcomes. With many different dance qualifications and certifications, and a commitment to ongoing professional development our teachers work collaboratively to draw on their experiences as professional dancers, early childhood educators and psychologists.
DIRECTOR
LAUREN SPENCELEY
Lauren founded EDI in 2017 after the unprecedented success of her pre-school program, Tippy Toes (est. 2014). Lauren has an unwavering belief of how dance should be delivered, not just to develop children as dancers but as individuals; giving them passion, skills, values and confidence that they take in to the rest of their lives. Lauren has danced since the age of two and was lucky enough to be trained by one of the most highly regarded russian-style ballet teachers in the UK, Lauren also has extensive psychology experience in child-development, child and adolescent mental health and a Masters in Health Psychology. She understands how dancing shaped her life and is passionate about passing this on to the next generation of children.
From a small start in North Perth Town Hall, Lauren has seen the grow rapidly and consistently as families flock to enrol their children at a school that offers dance in a technical sound and safe space. Lauren enjoys being able to deliver dance education across Perth, reaching as many children as possible, with dance classes in Osborne Park, Joondalup and Morley.
Lauren's passion for exceptional dance technique delivered a manner that is safe, physically and emotionally is how the school came to be and her belief that dance can and should be for everyone is what motivates the school's growth.
PRINCIPAL
KAREN MOONEY
Karen Mooney began her ballet training in Perth at the age of seven with the late Eleanor Hay, quickly adding Spanish dance to her education after developing an interest in character styles. Ballet and contemporary were the focus of her training for many years, and she was a long-standing member of STEPS Youth Dance Company from 1997 to 2003. After achieving her ARAD (Royal Academy of Dance Ballet syllabus) in 2001, she continued to teach ballet to children of all ages. With her increased involvement in the Danza Viva Spanish Dance Company from 2000, directed by Deanna Blacher OAM, her passion for Spanish dance was renewed, and the dream to study in Spain was realised in 2003-2004 when she was the recipient of the STEPS travel scholarship for full-time study in Granada.
Three trips to Spain later totalling a year’s worth of fulltime training at the famous Amor de Dios and others in Madrid, Seville and Granada, she still performs around Perth whenever the opportunity arises, and has achieved her Profesor de Baile teaching ceritificate in the IDE (Instituto de la Danza Española) syllabus. She has now made dance teaching a full-time vocation, teaching ballet and Spanish at Eden Dance Institute since 2018.
Karen loves the ethos of Eden, having found the school while looking for a suitable place for her own daughters to dance. It is her unwavering belief that dance should be a fun, safe and healthy practise for children and adults, no matter their goals or abilities. She loves watching the children grow through the Tippy Toes syllabus into young dancers, and is privileged to take on the role of Principal in 2021.
TEACHER
JOSHUA LIMMER
Joshua started dancing at the age of 3, starting with tap and quickly expanding to ballet, contemporary, jazz and acrobatics. At 15, he pursued ballet and contemporary full time at the Australian Dance Performance Institute in Brisbane where he graduated with an Advanced Arts Diploma then went on to continue his training in Germany at the Akademie Des Tanzes Mannheim. Josh studied under the direction of Professor Birgit Keil and graduated with a Masters of Arts in Dance. Josh went on to dance professionally in several ballet and contemporary companies throughout Germany before moving to Perth with his wife and 2 little ones.
Josh is so excited to share his love of dance with the students as well as his knowledge and experience!
TEACHER
SHELLEY MOORE
Shelley trained in Jazz, Ballet and Gymnastics from the age of four, and continued right through her teen years, adding Classical Ballet, Contemporary and Acrobatics to her repertoire. She completed a Certificate in Dance and rigorous 3 year degree at WAAPA.
Having a hiatus from dance, she pursued other artistic and creative careers, most recently Makeup Artistry, before having two lovely daughters. Shelley is an energetic and charismatic teacher who is enjoying assisting and teaching children, who carry the same effervescence for dance that she has.
TEACHER
MELISSA ANDREWS
Melissa Andrews Bio
TEACHER
DAKOTA LEAK
Originally, I am from Broome, a small town located in the North-West Kimberly. I started dancing at the age of two and quickly fell in love with all aspects of performing arts. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to pursue performing arts professionally.
In 2018, I moved to Perth to start full-time training in performing arts at Principal Academy of Dance and Theatre Arts, graduating with a Diploma of Acting and an Advanced Diploma of Musical Theatre.
Since graduating, I have been lucky enough to gain industry experience, performing and working in Platinum Entertainment’s “We Will Rock You,” “The Boy From Oz” and most recently “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” at Crown Theatre.
During the school holidays, I work as a choreographer for Perth Youth Theatre, choreographing two children’s musicals within the two weeks.
Dakota is passionate about teaching what she has learnt as a dancer and performer to everyone that enters her classes.
STUDIO MANAGER
JULIANNE BINGHAM
Jules is a bubbly and beautiful mother of two girls and a boy, who puts heart into everything she does. Jules loves netball, has 2 French Bulldogs named Snoop & Marley, when she is in the studio she is super organised likes making sure the studio smells nice with Essential Oils and has a big smile when you enter the studio!
If you have any queries please reach out to Jules who will be happy to look after you!