ACDA is a non-profit organisation and was incorporated in 1997.

Our core function is to host a dance competition festival for Ballet, Tap and Jazz in the first school holidays each year.

We operate financial management procedures in line with the Incorporated Society Act and our accounts are audtited annually. All proceeds from our competitions are used to pay for running expenses, cash prIzes and trophies for the participants.

We are about to hold our sixth annual competition in April 2002. In the last six years, we have seen our number of participants increase by over 50%, with the 2001 competitions attracting entries from approximately 500 young dancers and groups.

Each year we welcome to the stage around 70 children who are competing for the first time, and offer Restricted Classes across the three dance forms to help ease them into the "competition process". We also believe in rewarding excellence, through offering appropriate scholarships and prizes for those who achieve the highest standards of performance at our competitions. Without exception, we strive to recognise the achievements of dancers of all levels of ability, by presenting them with certificates, medals and trophies.

Our policy is to identify and engage professional adjudicators who, through their experience and informed critiques, add value to the young dancer’s education process.

Our committee is made up of committed parents who are well versed in competition management and willingly give up their time every year to gather in the entries, compile a competition programme and assist at the festival. Committee members work voluntarily and do not receive payment for their services. We welcome enquiries from like-minded people who would be interested in joining our group of helpers.

In the future, ACDA hopes to be able to call for applications from senior dancers for funding assistance to further their dance eductaion. Details of the criteria and available grants will be posted on this site as soon as they are ratified.

My sincere thanks to our three adjudicators for 2002 for agreeing to "officiate" at our competitions. I know that we will all benefit from their involvement.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the ACDA committee members if you need help with your entry or have any issues which arise from the programmme scheduling. I do try to please everyone, but sometimes this is just not possible and time constraints often dictate the way the programme runs.

Don’t forget to get your tickets for the group sessions early and make sure you’re at our Final Concert on Thursday 4^th April, where we’ll once again have a celebrity guest to judge our Entertainment Award. And finally, to all the dancers, the very best of luck for the competitions!

Leanne grew up in Invercargill, where she started learning Tap at an early age. By the time she was 13, she was already teaching competition tap routines, and then went on to full time teaching of the MBBO Syllabus.

Leanne currently teaches Tap and NZAMD Jazz at the Drury Lane Dance School in Hamilton. She has two children aged 3 and 1.

Amber trained in Tap, Ballet and Jazz from the age of 8, gaining honours passes in BAL, ISTD, RAD and BBO examinations. Amber performed at competitions over an 8 year period with great success including a second placing in the National Tap Awards.

At the age of 15, Amber was selected to join Debbie Dorday’s "Burgundy’s Cabaret" dancers in Parnell, Auckland, where she gained invaluable experience. She was also a member of the Sky City Cheerleaders for two years and has performed at numerous corporate events and functions.

Sherilyn was born in Auckland and trained at the National Ballet School in Wellington. While there, she gained the RAD Scholarship to study at the Royal Ballet School in London and within a year, was invited to join the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet Company, later to become the Birmingham Royal Ballet, under the directorship of Sir Peter Wright. Sherilyn was soon promoted to Principal Dancer, dancing all the major classical roles while working with many renowned directors and choreographers.

During her later years with the company, Sherilyn moved into a teaching role and has also studied closely with respected teacher, Eileen Ward, who has been a major influence and guide.

Since retiring from the company, Sherilyn has free-lanced as a teacher both in England and other countries. She has been a guest teacher for the Royal NZ Ballet Company and taught at the New Zealand School of Dance.

At the end of 2000, Sherilyn was invited to take over the directorship of the International Ballet Academy in Christchurch. Under her leadership, the Academy is fast becoming one of the foremost full-time classical training schools in New Zealand.