Our team

Ellie started dancing at the age of five, at National Capital Ballet School. Specialising in ballet and contemporary, she moved to Canberra Dance Development Centre in 2014 before joining Dance Northside in 2018. She has been a part of the Dance Northside Performance Team for three years and as a result has danced at numerous festivals around Canberra.

Ellie has undergone training as part of the DanceStep program with Dance Teacher Laura Gerstenberg and Niamh Martin. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Contemporary European Studies and Arts at the ANU.

Holly Diggle is the founder, owner, and director of Dance Northside. In 2006, she purchased what was then a small ballet academy, and has grown the studio into a diverse, vibrant community of over 370 dancers. Holly is proud to carry on a now 36-year-old tradition of running dance classes at Kaleen Community Hall in her 17th year in business.

Holly’s first exposure to dance was as a child in Edinburgh, at a studio that had a strong sense of community. People of all ages and skill levels danced together, connecting with their souls and each other through the body. Holly went on to study dance, obtaining a BA in Dance Performance (Theory and Practice) and a Diploma in Dance Teaching and Management. She also holds an RYT 200hr Yoga Teacher Certificate and a 50hr Kids Yoga Teacher Certificate, both accredited with Yoga Alliance, and is a qualified Acrobatic Arts instructor.

Earlier in her career, Holly performed professionally across Australia and overseas. Her work in Mirramu Dance Company’s ‘River’ earned Holly a nomination for ‘Most Outstanding Female Performer’ in the Australian Dance Awards. She won the ‘Most Outstanding Choreography Award’ and the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for her contact improvisation performances with Keira Mason-Hill at the Short and Sweet Dance Festival.

Inspired by her experiences in the industry, Holly wanted to create a space for children and adults to discover the healing power of dance and the simple joy of movement – without being subject to objectification, adultification, unrealistic expectations of perfection, and the pressure of competition. So, she started Dance Northside, a studio that provides fun, age-appropriate, recreational dance classes and community-focused performance opportunities. Taking a holistic approach to dance education, Holly’s hope is that her students become not only competent dancers, but happy, self-assured, and well-rounded individuals. As a certified Youth Protection Advocate in Dance, Holly is helping shift the dance industry’s focus onto child safety and wellbeing.

Holly’s desire to create a safe and inclusive space also comes from her own lived experience of neurodiversity. As someone with dyslexia and ADHD, Holly understands that whilst such conditions present a challenge, they can be superpowers when channelled effectively and are in no way an impediment to success. This makes Holly all the more aware and convinced of the need to offer dance classes in a nurturing and supportive environment, where people of any ability can reach their full potential.

Holly has over two decades of teaching experience in a variety of settings, including dance studios, schools, and universities. In addition, she has worked with refugee groups, women in recovery, and youth at risk. Holly’s specialty is contemporary dance, and her classes are dynamic, technical, and highly physical. Her teaching philosophy and methodology are centred around providing a positive, confidence-building experience for her students, supporting them to become physically and mentally strong.

Today, alongside raising her two young children, Holly really enjoys teaching Little Leapers, Acro, and Adults Contemporary at Dance Northside. She also loves connecting the community by running events and in-house performances, as well as mentoring her staff and student leaders. The people are what make Dance Northside such an amazing place to be, and Holly sees building those relationships as the most rewarding aspect of her role.

Holly is grateful to have received recognition for her achievements as a studio owner. In 2014, she was honoured to be acknowledged as a notable alumnus of the ACT public school system, for going on to become a leader in her chosen field. Holly has been named a finalist in the Canberra Women in Business Awards (2018), Australian Small Business Champion Awards (2022), Canberra Region Local Business Awards (2022), and AusMumpreneur Awards (2022). In 2022, she won a Women With Altitude Brave award.

Holly thanks you for choosing Dance Northside. Welcome to our community!

Maddi started dance at the very young age of 3, at first being introduced to the styles of ballet and contemporary. From 2016 onward, she began to expand her dancing palette, training in the styles of hip hop, modern dance, jazz, and Broadway at STEPZ South Coast Dance Academy.

In 2020-2021, Maddi gained teaching experience through the completion of HSC Dance, working with dancers to create solos and duets that explore unique choreographic intent. That teaching practise has continued over the past couple of years, involving choreography in school musical numbers and dance night performances.

Maddi has continued her personal training through performing in AASCF States (NSW) & Nationals (QLD) as a member of the ANU Competitive Dance Team: Premier Hip Hop Team in 2022. She has also increased her hip hop knowledge through attending various workshops by the NZ mega hip hop dance crew known as The Royal Family.

In addition to teaching hip hop in Canberra, she is currently studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Australian National University.

Caitlin has loved to dance since she was very young. She was first introduced to dancing at the age of three, starting out in ballet. At age four she took up Irish Dance, and trained competitively in the style for nine years, representing the Liz Gregory Academy at state, national and international level. Caitlin was ACT State Champion for four years running, from 2009 to 2012. She consistently placed in the top twenty nationally, with her best result being 9th place in 2011. In 2013, Caitlin travelled to California to compete in the North American National Championships, open to dancers from across the globe, where she placed 38th.

Caitlin met Holly in 2012, through the primary school dance competition known as Wakkakirri. Since then, Caitlin has taken contemporary, jazz, and ballet classes at Dance Northside. She has also been part of the Dance Northside Performance Team, allowing her to gain experience in other styles of dance and perform extensively across Canberra. Caitlin now works as Studio Administrator and teaches Kids Contemporary and Junior Contemporary, while undertaking a degree in International Relations at the Australian National University. She gains so much happiness from dance, and aims to inspire that same joy in her students.

Cara began dance at age 5 with Dance Northside. She has trained in Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet and Lyrical. Cara was a member of Dance Northside’s performance group for six years, and as a result has performed extensively throughout Canberra. She has also attended Capital Dance Studios and Play the Dance Agency to extend her hip-hop and jazz training.

Cara has undergone teacher training with Dance Northside’s former Assistant Artistic Director, Rebecca Allan and Dance Teacher, Taylor Burge. She has taught a variety of Minis, Kids and Junior classes, and is now starting a new role as the studio’s Customer Relations Manager. Cara has extensive knowledge if the inner working of Dance Northside having being apart of the studio family for so long, and is excited to be starting her new role within the studio.

In addidton to her work at Dance Northside, she is currently undertaking a degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Canberra.

Sharon started dance at the age of 3 and trained in ballet, jazz, tap & contemporary until her first teaching employment at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Canberra. She has 2 amazing kids, and is a single mum as well as a qualified Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Caricaturist, designing the 1996 Australian Tax Pack Cover, and has taught many classes of both Zumba and ballroom at Radford College over the years.

In 2000, Sharon competed and placed 4th in the international Fred Astaire Argentine Tango Showcase Division. She later appeared and placed 3rd on the 2005 season of the ABC television program, Strictly Dancing. Sharon is the 4-time undefeated Professional On2 ACT Salsa Champion. She also created and organised her own glamourous, friendly, independent Smooth and Rhythm competition, “ASDAC – The Outback Crown,” bringing world champions to inspire us isolated Aussies. Over 10 years, ASDAC built up a world-class reputation.

Sharon is a qualified Zumba Fitness, Zumba Kids, Strong by Zumba (now called Strong Nation), and Zumba Gold, Toning and Gold Toning instructor. She holds Associate and Licentiate degrees as well as Fellowships in nine smooth and rhythm ballroom dance styles. In 2016, Sharon successfully undertook the USISTD/AIDA Examiners Assessment, achieving her goal after 10 years of study, experience and innovation. She is one of only 11 such Examiners in the world, and the first and only one outside of the USA.

Sharon was the Co-Owner and -Creative Director of Danzon Dance Studio from 2004 – 2021. In 2017, Sharon created the “Articulate” Dance Training Program – her own teaching method based on 20 years of teaching, performances, competitions, mentoring, and experiencing the joy that students feel when they are happy and successful within themselves. Because the world is only about people, and we deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, to be accepted for who we are, and to feel joy – values that align directly with Dance Northside’s, which is why Sharon is so excited to be part of the team.

Abby started dancing at the age of 5, where she took her first ballet class at Dance Northside. At age 8 Abby began training in competitive Irish dancing, representing the Liz Gregory Acadamy at state and national level.

Abby returned to Dance Northside in 2015, since then she has taken classes of Contemporary, Hip Hop and Jazz. Abby joined Dance Northside’s Intermediate Performance Team in 2017, and then the Advanced Performance Team in 2018. She has performed extensively throughout Canberra and has expanded her experience in other dance styles.

Abby has undergone teacher training with Dance Teacher Caitlin, assisting her Mini’s Creative Movement class for two years. Abby now takes her own Mini’s Creative Movement class and wishes to teach young dancers her love and joy of dance in a safe and supportive environment.

Kasha started dancing in 2015 at the age of 9 with Dance Northside and has experience in multiple styles, including contemporary, ballet, jazz and hip hop. Kasha has performed all throughout Canberra, as she spent three years as a member of the Intermediate Performance Team and is now in her second year as a member of the Advanced Performance Team.

Kasha also took tap dancing classes at Kim Harvey school of dance in 2016 to learn something new for a year whilst still at Dance Northside.

Kasha started as an assistant teacher in 2020 and is now part of the DanceStep program. She has undergone training with Holly, Niamh, Laura, Caitlin and Abby. Kasha loves to share her passion with young dancers and is excited to see their smiling faces and watch them improve and have fun!

Kasha also works as the Studio Receptionist on Saturday mornings.

Shayla started dancing at age three, where she won a scholarship in her first year for ballet. At age five Shayla started training in Irish dancing, winning several awards in local competitions. In 2009 Shayla joined the Dance Northside community, training again in ballet, then adding contemporary, jazz and hip hop to her styles repertoire.

By 2014, Shayla joined the Advanced Performance Team in its inception and as a result, has performed extensively around Canberra.

In 2014 Shayla underwent training with Rebecca Allan and Amy Foreman assisting their classes for 3 years. She took on her own Creative Movement class in 2017. Since then Shayla has taught multiple styles and age ranges at Dance Northside. In addition to Dance Northside, in 2019 Shayla completed her Certificate 3 in Early Childhood and Care while working at Kaleen cubby house since June 2018.