About Us
Here at Aspire we endeavour to provide quality arts education. Through this we aim to encourage greater confidence and creative expression through dance and drama. We love to provide opportunities, like local performances and bringing up young teachers, to our students who show great attitude, positivity, fantastic work ethic and determination in all areas of class.
We have worked hard within the school to create a family atmosphere where we aim to give every student a sense of belonging.
As teachers we strive to continuously keep inspiring ourselves to then in return inspire our students. We approach every class with a motivated and positive attitude with the hope that our passion will create a difference for every child and give them a positive arts experience.
THE TEAM
Tammy Bennett :
Owner & Director of Aspire Arts Academy.
Tammy started Aspire in 2008 and had no idea of the demand at which began to present itself for quality performing arts tuition in Matamata and the surrounding districts.
Tammy trained as a child with Fay Harbottle in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap for 14 years and in Trinity College Speech and Drama with Kate Kelway. Tammy was fortunate enough to audition and gain a spot dancing with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Cinderella Production as a child - an experience she will never forget. She completed her major exams in RAD Ballet. After the completion of an English and Media double major degree from Waikato University, Tammy continued her perfoming arts training in Auckand. She also sat her ATCL Speech & Drama Trinity College Teachers exams at this time.
Following her training she began to teach full time as a dance teacher and drama teacher at various schools in Auckland. During this time she also began to examine dance in jazz and hip hop for the Australasian Dance Association - now Asia Pacific Dance Association. Tammy has been a dance examiner for 11 years now and still thoroughly enjoys going out to examine and being inspired by students in other schools. Tammy's main passion is to not only instill and inspire performing arts excellence in students but also to encourage self confidence and self esteem through the arts. Her aim is to see potential realised in students and to train teachers to realise the depth of potential in every student who enters the academy.
Ilze Morden: Studio Manager
Preschool, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Acro, Tap, Squad and Lyrical Teacher
Lydia Louw:
Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, and Drama Teacher
Mandi van der Westhuizen:
Preschool and Acro Teacher
Melody Tuck:
Drama Teacher
Assistant Teachers
The assistants benefit from this by learning skills to teach a dance class, how to keep them engaged, ways of teaching choreography and confidence to younger students, and the ability to control number of students.
The younger students benefit from assistant teachers by having an older dancer to look up to - a role model who is able to show them what hard work and a good attitude in the studio can bring.
The teachers benefit from this by being able to make use of assistant teachers when a class has fuller numbers. Students are still able to be separated into smaller groups with the use of the assistant teacher and more 1 on 1 attention can be given when needed.
We love to watch our young dancers grown into capable young teachers.