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ABOUT INTIATE DANCE
UPDATE: Our January 2024 will be the last programmes for Initiate Dance as Kristie Mortimer is moving overseas for several years. THANK YOU to all who have supported Initiate Dance since 2015.
Initiate Dance aims to provide a safe, fun and enjoyable environment for young people to participate in dance.
Initiate Dance is a community dance initiative founded by Kristie Mortimer. Growing up participating in dance, Kristie is passionate about providing accessible and inclusive dance opportunities for young people. Kristie completed a PhD in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland with a focus on inclusion and social integration in dance studio settings.
Initiate Dance has been running programmes since 2015, and continues to run thanks to funding from the Auckland Council's Creative Community Scheme funding.
KRISTIE MORTIMER (PHD IN DANCE STUDIES)
Founder and Director
Growing up in Blenheim, New Zealand, Kristie began dancing from the age of seven, and was teaching classes by the time she was fifteen. She moved to Auckland in 2010 to study a Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, and completed her PhD in Dance Studies in 2020.
She was awarded the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance for 2020, at the University of Otago. Through the Fellowship Kristie provided community dance classes in the Otago Corrections Facility, with an adult mental health support group, and in several schools throughout Dunedin. In 2021, Kristie worked full time as a Dance Educator for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, where she travelled around New Zealand teaching dance in schools, prisons, and wider community groups.
Currently, Kristie works full-time for the Dance Studies department at the University of Auckland. Kristie runs Initiate Dance in her spare time, and is passionate about making dance accessible and inclusive.
Kristie is passionate about teaching, performing and choreographing dance and enjoys many dance genres - including contemporary, hip hop, salsa and jazz. She loves to provide dance opportunities to young people and is excited to be organising the holiday programme once again.
RACHEL TOMASELLO
Programme Co-Facilitator and Teacher
Born and raised in Ohio, USA, Rachel started dancing at the age of three. She has experience training in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, and musical theatre. She grew up doing competitive dance across the U.S, and loves spaces where creativity in movement can bring people together.
In 2018, Rachel graduated from The Ohio State University with her Bachelor’s in Women’s Studies, Nonprofit Studies, and Dance. During this time, she also performed and choreographed with two different dance teams. After completing an internship with The Walt Disney Company post-graduation, she moved to New Zealand in October 2019 and is currently finishing up her Master’s in Dance Movement Therapy at The University of Auckland.
Rachel has experience teaching dance in prisons and youth homeless facilities in Ohio and New Zealand, and this past year she assisted Kristie at the Auckland Women’s Correctional Facility teaching for The Royal New Zealand Ballet. She hopes to begin her own nonprofit organization by incorporating dance and animal therapy within at-risk communities and within the mental health sector.
Rachel dances in musicals in her spare time, loves traveling, watching all things Disney, and exploring the beautiful country of Aotearoa with her golden retriever Archie. She absolutely loves being a part of this lovely holiday dance programme and working alongside the other dance teachers to make it a fun experience for all of our students!
ALESHA MEHTA
Programme Co-Facilitator & Teacher
Born and raised in South Auckland, Alesha started dancing at the age of three. She was taught how to dance by her mother who would teach Bollywood dance to children in their community. Alesha continued to do Bollywood dance throughout her childhood through to secondary education where she choreographed and entered Pukekohe High School for the first time into the High School Bollywood Dance competition in 2010 and was awarded the Junior Leadership Award.
Alesha continued to perform at the Auckland Diwali festival annually and other festivals throughout Auckland. Alesha has completed her Bachelor of Dance Studies (2019), followed by Postgraduate Honours (2020) and is now pursuing PhD studies in dance with the University of Auckland where she aims to forge a link between her Indian creative practice and academia. While studying at the University of Auckland, Alesha travelled to Finland in her second year where she studied as a part of the Master of Dance Pedagogy programme, taught in South Korea and China and in her third year was awarded the Prime Ministers Scholarship for India where she took part in the Indogenius Reimagining India programme.
Alesha has a strong passion for teaching and researching dance. She strongly believes in creativity, collaboration and inclusivity within the dance class. Alesha enjoys being able to connect with others through movement and believes that the dance class can be an environment where students can feel seen, heard and are given space to explore their identities in a collaborative, collective and empowering environment.
ALYSHA RILEY
Programme Facilitator & Teacher
Born and raised in Auckland, Alysha has been dancing since she was four years old and began teaching at sixteen. Alysha was awarded a dance scholarship at level 3 and has graduated with her Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. She is studying a Masters in Dance Movement Therapy also at the University of Auckland.
In 2017 Alysha performed at the Civic in Ruaumoko choreographed by Moss Patterson alongside Atamira Dance Company. In 2016, Alysha also travelled to America where she performed at Los Angeles Disneyland and on Hollywood Boulevard. During this trip Alysha took classes at IDA, Millennium and The Edge studios with internationally renowned choreographers.
Alysha has a strong passion for teaching and is currently a teacher and choreographer at Jayes Dance studio. She loves to perform and choreograph whenever she gets the chance. Alysha has been trained in many dance genres including Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary. She loves to get involved in as many projects with the wider dance community as possible including stage managing for AUE and Xavier Breed at the 2018 pacific dance festival, Youdance festival, Fringe dance festival and now again at the Initiate Dance Holiday Programme.
BEX HALE
Facilitator & Teacher
Rebecca (Bex) Hale, is a professionally trained dancer, qualified secondary teacher, dance educator and freelance adjudicator. She has choreographed works for Auckland Academy of Adult Ballet, DanceBeat Academy, Bev Birch School of Dance, Bays School of Dance, and Albany Senior High School.
Bex started her training at age three, and danced in local and national competitions throughout New Zealand for over ten years. Her training and performance experience covers ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, national character, demi character, barefoot, improvisation and choreography. In 2015 she commenced her full time training at the Queensland University of Technology undertaking a Bachelor Of Fine Arts (Dance Performance), which she graduated from with Distinction in December, 2017. During her time in Brisbane Bex performed various festivals, for stage, film and televisions, and has worked with a number of renowned Australian choreographers. In 2017 she had the opportunity to take part in the Beijing Contemporary Dance Festival Dance Camp, and perform in the festival itself.
Bex tutors at a number of dance schools across Auckland, with a focus on BAL ballet, and NZAMD/ open contemporary examination classes. She coaches private students on examination technique, and choreographs competition work for solos and small groups. She has worked as a guest choreographer and tutor at Albany Senior High School, Murray's Bay Intermediate, Glenfield College, and Auckland Academy of Adult Ballet.
Since returning to New Zealand, Bex has enjoyed adjudicating in both Auckland and Wellington. Having spent more than ten years competing throughout the North Island, Bex enjoys the opportunity to share the wealth of knowledge she acquired with the next generation of aspiring Kiwi dancers.
Bex holds a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Sec. Dance and Drama) from the University of Auckland, and is completing a TCIV in Dance Teaching and Management at Ballet Australasia Limited. She is a Dance teacher at Albany Senior High School, a ballet tutor at Bays School of Dance, private coach, freelance adjudicator and a dance educator at The Friday Company.
After guest teaching for the January 2021 Initiate Dance Holiday Programme, Bex is excited to return this April.
CHLOE DEVCICH
Facilitator & Teacher
Chloe was born and raised in West Auckland and started dancing at the age of three. She began in ballet, but Chloe also loves performing other genres such as jazz, musical theatre, lyrical and hip hop. Chloe began teaching when she was sixteen and believes dance can help give kids confidence in day to day life, build new friendships, while giving them a creative outlet.
Chloe has been teaching the Initiate Dance After School Community Dance Classes for 2021 both in-person and online. She is really looking forward to grooving on the dance floor with both familiar and new students.
DEBORAH FLETCHER
Facilitator & Teacher
Deborah is an independent contemporary dancer, choreographer and teacher. Deborah has trained in RAD Ballet, JDNZ Jazz and NZAMD Contemporary syllabuses to the high levels. In 2016 she began studying at the University of Auckland and has graduated with a Bachelor of Dance Studies (honours).
Deborah is passionate about teaching and has taught a range of ages from littlies to adults. As well as teaching dance in schools and dance schools around Auckland, in 2018 Deborah travelled with UoA Dance Studies to Asia and taught and performed in international schools in, Myanmar, Singapore and China.
As well as teaching Deborah is really passionate about performing and choreographing, and has been fortunate to work and train with choreographers and companies well known in New Zealand, including Sarah Knox, Carol Brown, Atamira Dance company, Sarah Foster-Sproull, Footnote, Dance Plant Collective, Manu collective and Bianca Hylsop and Eddie Elliot. Deborah has recently choreographed and performed in Short and Sweet dance festival, Auckland Fringe festival, Tempo Dance Festival, the Basement theatre, and for UoA Dance Studies.
She enjoys facilitating an upbeat and fun but productive classroom, and hopes to bring her diverse experiences into the class with her.
SOPHIE HENDERSON
Programme Facilitator & Teacher
Born and raised in Auckland, Sophie began dancing from a young age and hasn’t stopped ever since. Sophie completed her Bachelor of Dance Studies (2018) followed by her Postgraduate Honours (2019) and most recently completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Education (2020) at the University of Auckland.
Sophie is currently a secondary school teacher at James Cook High School. She teaches both dance and drama to year 9, 10 and NCEA students. Secondary teaching is a role that she finds extremely rewarding and is excited to be sharing her knowledge with the next generation of learners.
In 2019 Sophie completed a dance internship at Dulwich College Seoul, where she spent 5 months teaching, researching and travelling throughout Seoul, South Korea. This experience allowed her to develop her passion for dance education and provided her with international teaching experience. Sophie has also taught and performed at three other Dulwich Colleges in; Singapore, China and Myanmar.
Sophie enjoys being able to communicate with others through movement and believes that dance should be both enjoyable and fun. She also believes that dance can provide students with the opportunity to think creatively and allow them to step outside their comfort zone. Sophie has had experience both teaching and a performing in many dance genres such as; contemporary, jazz and ballet.
KEIRAN GARDNER
Assistant Teacher
Keiran’s first dance experience was at six when he was included in a school group working with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and international choreographer Royston Maldoom in the Auckland Dance Project’s Sacre performed at the Aotea Centre in front of an audience of 2000. Since then he has participated in a further Auckland Dance Project with Moss Patterson as the choreographer for Te Manu Ahi, and with the Auckland Dance Company performance for White Night, as well as the annual school show at primary school.
Keiran currently attends Green Bay High School where he is also studying dance and has performed in the schools arts showcase.
Keiran has been involved with the Initiate Dance Programme from the start, where he was a student. For the past few years he has been involved in the role of Assistant Leader, and at the beginning of 2020 was invited to be an Assistant Teacher. He loves the different styles of dance that this programme offers. His favourite dance styles are Hip Hop, Contemporary and Salsa. He is looking forward to working with these fabulous dance teachers and students again for the next holiday dance programme.