Meet our Arc Dance teaching team

Sarah Knox dance teachers sitting outdoors on a wooden deck, smiling at the camera. She is the owner of Arc Dance a dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland.

STUDIO OWNER/DIRECTOR & TEACHER

Dr Sarah Knox has had a 25 year dance career in New Zealand. She started her dance learning in a small studio in Milford, studying ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and national character dance. She trained at the New Zealand School of Dance from 1998-2001, first specialising in classical ballet and then contemporary dance.

Sarah had a 12 year performing career working as a professional contemporary dancer, including working with Black Grace, Footnote NZ Dance, the New Zealand Dance Company and extensively within freelance contemporary and commercial dance contexts. She worked for a year at the New Akao Hotel in Atami Japan as a dancer, vocalist and magician’s assistant. She has choreographed works for Footnote NZ Dance, the NZ Fringe Festival, The University of Auckland, The Classical Collab (Auckland), and Dance Nucleus (Singapore). In 2017 Sarah won the Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award for her piece on the Royal New Zealand Ballet and her work on Ballet Collective Aotearoa has been performed at Arts Festivals around New Zealand.

Sarah holds a Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Creative and Performing Arts and a PhD (with a focus on choreography pedagogy) from the University of Auckland. She currently works as an Academic at the University of Auckland where she teaches, researches, and leads the student international teaching and performance tours throughout Asia. She is involved in teaching emerging teachers to teach and in preparing young practitioners for diverse careers in the arts.

Sarah has worked extensively as a guest teacher, adjudicator, choreographer throughout New Zealand and internationally. Her research has been published internationally and she regularly presents at global conferences. She holds a number of international arts education leadership roles, for example she is the Vice President of the World Dance Alliance (WDA), and Co-Chair of the WDA Education and Training Network, is on the Executive for the World Alliance for Arts Education. As part of this work, she attended the 2024 UNESCO Global Conference for Culture and Arts Education in Abu Dhabi. In 2025-2026 she is a selected Young Leader for the inaugural UNESCO Youth for Peace Intercultural Leadership Programme.

Sarah is also the founder of Dance Education Resources - a support organization for dance teachers (studio and NCEA), providing digital and physical products to enhance dance learning and choreographic skills. She is passionate about young people developing transferable creative and collaborative skills through dance.

Studio ownership has been a long term dream for Sarah and she is proud to be the new owner of the school. As a Grey Lynn local and mother of a child in a local school, she is passionate about providing stimulating, fun, well rounded dance experiences for the community. She is excited to bring her broad expertise to Arc Dance to support dance teachers to make meaningful relationships with their students, to see young dancers thrive, and to see people of all ages have access to quality dance experiences. Sarah believes dance fosters empathy, creativity, peace, and truly can change the world.

Sarah will work as a relief teacher in Arc Dance, will mentor our assistant teachers and provide regular professional development for all staff, support performance teams and all school activities, and will be responsible for all organisational activities. Sarah is also available for elite coaching and competition choreography for ballet and contemporary. Please reach out to Sarah with any questions or to say hello, she can’t wait to meet you!

Learn more about sarah

Meet our dedicated teaching team

  • Close-up of a young woman who is a dance teacher in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with long dark hair, blue eyes, wearing a black sleeveless top and gold earrings, smiling outdoors against a blurred background.

    SHAYLIN DURBAN

    BALLET & STRENGTH/STRETCH TEACHER

    Shaylin is a highly experienced dance educator with a lifelong passion for movement, performance, and student wellbeing. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, Shaylin began her dance training at the age of two and entered full-time classical ballet training by fourteen, dedicating her life to the art and discipline of dance.

    As a founding member of Scimm Dance Company, Shaylin performed professionally for over a decade and was promoted to Senior Artist in 2023 before retiring from performance at the end of that year.

    Before relocating to Auckland in 2025, Shaylin worked as the Course Coordinator for the Scimm Pre-Professional Program, where she combined her extensive industry experience with a strong focus on nurturing confident, versatile, and resilient dancers. With a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science and a Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced), Shaylin brings a unique, evidence-based approach to training that prioritises both physical excellence and mental wellbeing.

    Her teaching philosophy centres on creating a supportive, disciplined, and inspiring environment where dancers are empowered to reach their full potential, both on and off the stage.

  • A young woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with long, wavy black hair wearing a black crop top, blue jeans, silver jewelry, and standing against a plain white background.

    ANYA JOHN-FRANCKE

    HIP HOP & JAZZ TEACHER

    Anya has been dancing since she was 5, training in both jazz & hip hop for many years, completing the APDA and NZAMD syllabi respectively. She honed her skills at Ettingshaussens Dynamic Arts Institute in Sydney, and has represented NZ at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships.

    Anya’s most recent career achievement is dancing in the Disney+ movie ‘Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.’

    She has been teaching and choreographing for over 10 years and is extremely enthusiastic about sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages.

    Anya’s started teaching at teaching hip hop at Samantha Nicole School of Dance in 2024 and she is excited to continue encouraging her students and supporting them in their dance journeys at Arc Dance.

  • A woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair smiling at the camera, wearing a black tank top, against a plain gray background.

    HANNAH TANG

    BALLET TEACHER

    Born and raised in Singapore, Hannah is a Bachelor of Dance Studies graduate (University of Auckland) and a registered Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) teacher with five years of teaching experience. She began her ballet training at the age of four and has since completed her RAD examinations, building a strong foundation in classical technique.

    Alongside ballet, Hannah is also trained in contemporary dance. Prior to moving to Auckland, she trained and performed in multiple works with Republic Polytechnic Modern Dance and the National University of Singapore Dance Ensemble, and competed in various dance competitions, including the Asian Grand Prix Hong Kong and Get the Beat Singapore. In 2025 Hannah travelled to teach and perform in China as part of the UoA Dance Studies international student tours and she has completed a secondment with Footnote NZ Dance company.

    From playful preschool classes to expressive adult sessions,  Hannah loves working with dancers of all ages. She stays curious and invested in refining her pedagogy to meet the needs of each unique individual. Teaching allows her to pass on not just technique, but also a deep appreciation for creativity, discipline, and self-expression. Nothing brings her greater happiness than seeing her students discover their own love for dance.

  • Portrait of a young man who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with light skin, short light brown hair, and blue eyes, smiling slightly, wearing a white t-shirt and a reddish-brown jacket against a gray background.

    JOSH RAE

    HIP HOP TEACHER

    Josh is a dancer and teacher who specialises in street dance styles. Joshua has grown up in West Auckland, New Zealand, spending time learning in multiple dance studios and spaces, travelling to places such as Hawaii and Australia for competitions. His most recent professional experience was with Freshmans Dance Crew for multiple years, including travelling to LA with them to perform at World of Dance and completing numerous local gigs with them.

    He has acquired a Bachelor of Dance Studies from the University of Auckland as of 2025 and has continued to study for a Master's in Dance Studies, also at the University of Auckland, with a focus on dance education. in 2025 and 2026 Josh has taught street dance at The University if Auckland and worked as a Student Ambassador for Dance Studies teaching workshops in high schools, at HuiHui Collide Youth Dance Festival in Taupo and supporting University events.

    Josh has taught at numerous schools and studios in Auckland and has extensive experience in both street dance and contemporary dance. Josh continues to lead and teach in various settings as he pursues his studies.

  • A young woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with brown hair, light skin, and brown eyes, wearing earrings, a nose ring, and a necklace, looking at the camera with a slight smile against a plain white background.

    SIDNEY SHERWOOD

    ACRO & PRESCHOOL TEACHER

    Sidney is a highly passionate dance educator with 8 years of teaching experience across music and dance. She grew up training in ballet for 12 years before discovering her passion for education, and went on to teach ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and acro across schools and studios in Tāmaki Makaurau. She holds an Acrobatic Arts teaching certification and brings a strong focus on safe and inclusive learning environments.

    Currently completing a Master’s degree at the University of Auckland, Sidney specialises in international dance education, an interest she developed during her Bachelor of Dance Studies. During her Bachelor of Dance Studies, she was granted a Senior Scholar award and travelled to China to teach and perform twice, including once under a fully funded research scholarship. There she gained hands-on teaching experience in culturally diverse classrooms, and has since been invited back to continue her work with the school in China.

    Her teaching experience spans professional and tertiary contexts, including choreographing and teaching with Smoky Mirror Arts Company, completing an education secondment with Footnote NZ Dance Company, and working across graduate teaching and mentorship roles at the University of Auckland. Sidney’s teaching aims to inspire curiosity, prompting students to learn about dance (and themselves) in ways that value their diverse perspectives and experiences.

  • A young woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with short, layered, ash-blonde hair smiling and wearing a sleeveless black top, sitting against a plain white background.

    MINAMI OTAKI

    CONTEMPORARY, JAZZ, LYRICAL TEACHER

    Minami is a recent graduate of the University of Auckland’s Bachelor of Dance Studies. Born and raised in Singapore, Minami began her training in Chinese Dance and Ballet at Dance Ensemble Singapore before progressing to contemporary dance in 2018. She has trained and performed with Republic Polytechnic Modern Dance and The Human Expression (T.H.E) Second Company’s Training Initiative (SCTI). During her time in Auckland, she has worked with numerous choreographers such as Yin-Chi Lee and Joanna Cook alongside her studies. In 2025 Hannah travelled to teach and perform in China as part of the UoA Dance Studies international student tours and she has completed a secondment with Footnote NZ Dance company.

    Minami has also taught a range of students of different backgrounds and experiences. She is passionate about teaching and guiding students to their fullest potential. She always strives to create a fun and enjoyable learning environment for her students. 

  • A smiling woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with long wavy blonde hair posing outdoors with green palm trees and plants in the background.

    LILY JONES-HARVEY

    LYRICAL, JAZZ & CONTEMPORARY TEACHER

    Lily began dancing at the age of three, training across contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip-hop through NZAMD and APDA syllabi. She holds a Bachelor of Dance Studies and is currently undertaking a Master’s degree in Dance at the University of Auckland. As part of her studies she travelled to Singapore on a teaching and performance tour, and undertook classes at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

    Working across community, studio, and school settings, Lily is deeply invested in choreography and collaboration. Her practice spans both performance and teaching contexts nationally and internationally, including tours throughout Asia and Aotearoa. She has achieved a top-tier APDA Solo Seal award and has developed original choreographic works through the University of Auckland Summer Scholarship programme. In 2025 her choreography was shown at part of the Classical Collab Youth Dance performance. She has also recently been awarded the FAME Emerging Practitioner Award.

    Lily is particularly drawn to multimodal and practice-led approaches, with a strong interest in generating original choreographic work. She believes dance should be expansive and empowering and is committed to cultivating environments where dancers feel supported to take risks, build confidence and develop both technical skill and creative agency.

  • A woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with glasses and brown hair holding a fluffy ginger cat wrapped in a light-colored scarf.

    SHAY EDWARDS

    MUSICAL THEATRE & JUNIOR JAZZ TEACHER

    Shay began dancing in tap & ballet at a young age, gradually moving through all the styles adding jazz, hip hop, ballroom and latin to her repertoire, training at a variety of studios. During her time training, Shay competed in both solo performances and dance troupes.

    As well as being a dancer all her life, she also has a love for musical theatre and began performing in amateur theatre productions , with her first and favourite role of ‘Ursula’ rom the little mermaid.

    Shay began teaching at Samantha Nicole School of Dance in 2024 as the musical theatre teaching, now joining the team of Arc Dance.

  • A young woman with long brown hair, blue eyes, and earrings, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black and white floral dress with black lace trim on the shoulders.

    ASHER SAUNDERS

    JAZZ, BALLET & LYRICAL TEACHER

    Asher is in her third year at the University of Auckland studying a Bachelor of Dance. She has trained extensively in RAD ballet, achieving Distinction in her Advanced 2 examination in 2023, and holds a Level 1 Progressing Ballet Technique certification. She currently teaches at Howick Dance Studio where for the past three years she has taught RAD Advanced ballet and choreography classes. She has also been the lead choreographer and teacher for the Howick Dance productions of Peter Pan in 2023 and Coppelia in 2025. Asher, attended the professional development course at the Sydney Dance Company in 2025 and later in the same year she attended the New Zealand School of Dance summer school for teachers where she had previously also trained as a student in their summer classes.  

    In year 13, at Howick College, Asher won two Dance awards - most promising Dancer and top Choreographer. Additionally, during her time at high school she trained at Mount Eden Ballet Academy where she attended the Future Dancers program training two days a week for three years. 

    Asher has a passion for both technical training and creative artistry. She is excited to begin teaching and looks forward to sharing her passion with her new students.

  • A woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with long black hair, wearing a black shirt, smiling lightly at the camera.

    NGAMARAMA TAURIKI

    JAZZ, LYRICAL, CONTEMPORARY TEACHER

    Ngamarama has been dancing since she was 3 years old, training across a wide range of styles including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and commercial dance. An experienced competitive dancer, she has competed at both regional and national levels since she was 8.

    Alongside her training, Ngamarama has developed a deep love for teaching and choreography. She has tutored and choreographed competition groups, working with dancers from primary school through to senior high school. Her passion lies especially in commercial jazz and contemporary styles, where she loves encouraging dancers to grow in confidence, artistry, and self-expression.

    A passionate performer at heart, Ngamarama has had the joy of showcasing her talents in several Manawatū musical theatre productions, including We Will Rock You and Kinky Boots. These have been bucket-list moments in her dance journey.

    Currently, Ngamarama is continuing her Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, where she is excited to further expand her knowledge, creativity, and exposure within the dance industry.

    Ngamarama is incredibly excited to be joining Arc Dance in 2026 and looks forward to continuing her teaching journey, connecting with the Arc community, and sharing her love of dance with students who are just as passionate as she is.

  • A young woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with long brown hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, smiling, wearing a light gray T-shirt standing in front of a white wall with horizontal siding.

    CHELSEA WARD

    PRESCHOOL & CONTEMPORARY TEACHER

    Chelsea is originally from Motueka. She has been dancing for 14 years in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, and Tap. For the past three years, Chelsea has taught at Dance Motueka, delivering the APDA exam syllabus to students aged 4–18, with some achieving 100% results and top-tier placements in Australasia.


    While teaching, she has choreographed solos, duos, trios, and group dances for competitions, while also continuing to compete herself. Alongside competitions, she has completed NZAMD and APDA exams and has gained her Solo Performance Diplomas in Hip Hop and Jazz.


    Chelsea is now based in Auckland, studying a Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. She is very passionate about returning to teaching and cannot wait to meet the next generation of young dancers on the dance floor!

And our assistant teachers

  • A young woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with fair skin, dark hair, and makeup, smiling at the camera, wearing a black tank top.

    Bianca

    Assistant teacher

  • A woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, taking a selfie, smiling, with other people partially visible around her, against a black background.

    Kiara

    Assistant teacher

  • Portrait of a smiling woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with red lipstick and blue eyes, wearing a black sleeveless top, against a black background.

    Stella

    Assistant teacher

  • A woman who is a dance teacher at Arc Dance school in Grey Lynn, Auckland, with pale skin, red lipstick, and long brown hair pulled back, standing against a black background. She is smiling slightly and looking at the camera.

    Sophia

    Assistant teacher