ISS2024 Faculty
Steve Rooks
Steve Rooks began his dance training in Washington, D.C. He continued his training in New York City as a scholarship student. He danced with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where he achieved the rank of Principal Dancer. Steve is a Professor of Dance and Resident Choreographer at Vassar College in the US.
Steve’s award-winning career has seen him commissioned to create many new works for some of the world’s most recognised companies across the US and in countries such as Finland and India. Steve has been appointed to many guest residencies in Costa Rica and France. He is also a sought-after guest teacher, working with the American Academy of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Mexico, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and now the International Summer School in Sydney.
He is currently a Board Director for the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Clytie Campbell
At 17, Clytie joined the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin, where she danced for six years, before moving to Vienna’s Staatsoper Ballet. In 2005 Clytie joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet, where she was appointed Ballet Master in 2017.
Clytie has danced many lead roles with the RNZB including Don Quixote, La Sylphide, Giselle, the grand pas de deux in The Nutcracker, and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as solos in works such as Plan to A, Silhouette and A Million Kisses to My Skin. She received critical acclaim for her lead roles in From Here to There and Banderillero.
In 2018 Clytie assisted Queensland Ballet on La Bayadère. In 2019, Clytie staged this production for both West Australian Ballet and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She has also staged Giselle, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and Holberg Suite for the RNZB.
Bronte Hull
Bronte joined the Australian Ballet School aged 14. Upon Bronte’s graduation, she performed the lead role of Gerda in Snow Queen before accepting a contract with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
In Bronte’s second year with the RNZB, she was given the title role in Christopher Hampson’s production of Cinderella. From there, she went on to perform many of the classics. Highlights include Swan Lake, Who Cares, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Giselle, Coppelia, The Wizard of Oz and In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.
Bronte taught masterclasses and workshops for the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company’s education department. After leaving the stage, she became a qualified RAD teacher and sports nutritional advisor. She is now a freelance ballet teacher who enjoys sharing her love of dance with students of all ages and abilities.
Paul Boyd
Paul has received the German Critics Award for ‘Best Up and Coming Artist in Europe’ and ‘Best Established Artist in Europe’ in Düsseldorf. He has made guest appearances in the US, Israel, Germany, Italy, Monte Carlo, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and France.
In 1993, Paul danced the title role in Spartacus at the Summer Arts Festival in Italy. His extensive repertoire has included Principal roles in all the classics, with many distinguished international choreographers.
He has been a guest teacher / choreographer for the Royal Ballet School in London, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and The Australian Ballet’s Bodytorque season in 2005.
Paul is the Academy Ballet Master and Resident Choreographer at the Queensland Ballet Academy.
Sian Sherwood
Sian began dancing at age 4, studying Royal Academy of Dance Ballet, CSTD Tap, Jazz and Theatrical genres. In 2010 Sian began dance training at the Macarthur Ballet Studio, taking classes in RAD Ballet, Character, Jazz, Lyrical and Contemporary. She completed her RAD Grades and Vocational levels to Advanced 2, gaining a Distinction for each exam.
In 2017, Sian moved to Melbourne to take a place in the Victorian State Ballet’s Pre-Professional program. She gained knowledge of the Company’s full repertoires of Gabriel, The Magic Toy Shop, Snow White and Cinderella. Sian was also part of the Victorian State Ballet’s Australian Premiere of Le Corsaire.
Sian has completed a Progressing Ballet Technique and Ready Set Dance certification. She has also completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies through the Royal Academy of Dance.
Kristen Hockley
Kristen started in Year 7 at The McDonald College, initially studying classical ballet and dance. She then discovered a love of musical theatre, teaching and choreography and has since turned that passion into her career.
Kristen is the Dance Development Officer for Sports Tots, a program she developed that provides dance education to early childhood centres. She is also a trained Ready Set Dance and Ready Set Ballet teacher and assistant choreographer for City Kids Theatre’s productions.
Kristen has choreographed Miranda Musical Society’s Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, and Engadine Musical Society’s Jersey Boys.
Kristen’s performance credits include featured dancer roles in Priscilla to Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergere and Grease Fever. Other highlights include roles in Beauty and the Beast, High School Musical, Aladdin, Lion King, Footloose and Wizard of Oz.
Sarah Bakker
Sarah Bakker is a dancer, singer and actor who has featured in many of the world’s most spectacular musicals across Australia, Broadway, and London’s West End theatres.
Sarah trained at The Dance Works, The Queensland Dance School of Excellence and The Young Conservatorium of Music and made her stage debut as a young Cosette in Les Misérables.
Sarah’s early theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera in Singapore and Australia. She has also toured internationally, playing lead roles, key roles and as part of the ensemble for productions such as Chicago and Mary Poppins.
Sarah’s credits include Evita in Slovenija, Follies in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall and in the original cast of Mrs Henderson Presents. She has also performed in An American in Paris, Chess and Svetlana. Recently, Sarah performed in The Phantom of the Opera with Opera Australia.
Sally Harrison
Sally is the founder of Band-ITS & Strength4Dance, a business dedicated to injury prevention and creating a strong body for a lifetime of dance. Having ended her own dance career due to injury she is passionate about helping the next generation of performers understand and look after their ‘tool of the trade’.
Sally is a state-registered physiotherapist and fitness trainer with over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industries.
She has been working as a physio with dancers since 2008 and has worked with musicals such as Evita, West Side Story and now works with Bangarra Dance Theatre here in Sydney. Sally is also an ongoing contributor for Dance Life magazine and lectures at Brent St, Ettinghausens, UDC, ED5 and Transit Dance. She also presents at many national conferences for both the dance and health and fitness communities (Cecchetti, ATOD, SADF, RAD, FILEX and Healthy Aging Summit).
Lindsay Ellman-Brown
Lindsay trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, achieving a Licentiate and Diploma in Dance Teaching.
She performed in, choreographed, and produced several classical full-length ballets for the National Ballet of Zimbabwe.
In 2003 Lindsay immigrated to Australia, and completed a Masters in Dance Teaching at QUT. Lindsay became an Examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance in 1999 and has travelled the world examining, teaching workshops and examination preparation classes for both students and teachers.
She currently teaches at The McDonald College in the vocational levels of Classical Ballet and provides private lessons to our senior classical students.