Hunter Valley Cocktail Weekender

Below is the fantastic line-up of teachers who taught at the 2011 Cocktail Weekender. The line-up for 2012 will be no less impressive.

Emma, Co-Director of Queensland's most popular Modern Jive school Le Step on the Coast, is as much known for her love of dance as she is for her relaxed, fun and easy to follow teaching style.

Emma teaches regular weekly classes as well as judging and competing at national & international events. She has choreographed and danced in many team routines that have won or placed on the national circuit including the undefeated Coasties Inc, and has enjoyed being on the podium for Masters/Champions Freestyle and DWAS at every competition since 2007.

Austin, talented dancer and respected team member of Le Step on the Coast, is well recognised for his smooth style and genuine love of dance.

Austin has competed and placed in quite a few National competitions in his 3 years of Modern Jive and was part of the Coasties Next Gen Team who placed 2nd to the infamous Coasties Inc at two competitions in 2010. He most recently choreographed and taught the Gold Coast's Dynamite Routine with Emma and is currently gaining recognition for his easy going teaching style.

Ciara and Coby are both long-time crew members of Le Step on the Coast, and between them have a long list of Modern Jive achievements. Ciara has numerous placings at various levels of competition around the country, was an integral part of the 'Get Involved' team routine which achieved 1st place at 3 national events in 2010 (and remains unbeaten), choreographed and taught two fantastic routines last year, and has also taught west coast swing for Raw Connection.

Coby, along with dance partner Holly Skinner, has been unbeaten for the last 3 years, consistently placing 1st in Freestyle at the Champions/Masters level both nationally and overseas. Coby frequently teaches workshops around Australia and New Zealand, choreographed (with Holly) the 'Get Involved' team routine mentioned above, and has also taught west coast swing for Raw Connection along with Ciara.

Coby and Ciara look forward to seeing you at the Hunter Valley Cocktail Weekender 2011, and can't wait to help you take your Modern Jive to the next level!

Shauna is a passionate teacher of dance. She has been dancing Ceroc since 1998. Before that she attained a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Dance, taught Latin American & Modern Ballroom overseas and competed in many Australian Championships. Shauna loves teaching and seeing the joy on peoples faces as they master a move.

She is an exceedingly popular teacher with a huge following. Never short of a partner at dance parties, she is happy to dance with guys of any level, who come away with a renewed appreciation for her skill, talent and ability to follow.

Charlie has been dancing all her life, starting Ceroc in 2007. With her dance partner Sean she has since enjoyed many wins and podium finishes in Ceroc cabaret and freestyle competitions, most recently with a placing in their first Masters competition. Her style is smooth and her winning smile legendary.

Now adding choreography to her list of credits, she and Sean have put together the very exciting "Red Alert" routine. Her moves and style are pleasure to watch.

Francis has been dancing Ceroc both in the UK and Australia for 12 years. He brings a great sense of fun to his classes as well as a great deal of style. His dancing and individual dress style has earned him the nick name 'Fred Astaire' with his local Northern Beaches students.

He is a tireless dancer, who is constantly researching both music and dance moves in order to bring not only the very latest moves, but continued interest to his classes. He is most likely to say: "And it looks something like this".

John started dancing in 1994, semi-professionally in jazz & theatre. He started modern jive in 1999, competing in 2002 and teaching in 2004. Since then he has won in Advanced and Masters categories in competitions around Australia.

He is a very stylish dancer who is very entertaining to watch and definitely an inspiration to guys. His teaching style has ensured that he has an ever growing following amongst ceroc'ers around the country.

Mark is the Director & Founder of Ceroc Australia and has been teaching since 1991 in Australia, UK and New Zealand. Together with his wife Simone, and individually, he has won many dance championships and choreographed many routines. His classes are always informative and lots of fun, in keeping with his philosophy that "Everyone is Welcome" to learn Ceroc.

Always innovative, the dance style of Ceroc/Modern Jive is staying fresh, with his introduction of the Anchor Step and the new Beginner footwork.

Simone loves to dance, trying a number of different styles over the years. Having a musical background, dancing has always been a natural progression. She has choreographed a number of popular routines and also has a number of current Masters championship wins to her credit.

She has a belief in living a healthy lifestyle, where her fitness regime includes plenty of dancing. She is a very experienced Teacher with a distinctive style, which has had an influence on many other girls.

Claire's passion for dancing started well before finding Ceroc, but since 1998 she's been hooked and is still in love with its freedom and expressiveness. Claire , owner of the Ceroc Rotorua Branch in New Zealand , has been teaching since 2002 . Her workshops are full of energy, enthusiasm and fun.

Sean has been dancing Ceroc since 2007 and started teaching in 2009. As a guy who was relatively late in discovering a passion for dance, seeing people come to Ceroc for the first time and realise that they can actually dance is his greatest reward. With his dance partner Charlie Cowie he has won or been placed in many championships, including Masters.

He loves to bring the influence of other dance styles to Ceroc and with Charlie he has choreographed the fabulous new routine "Red Alert", which incorporates these aspects.

Brad & Nadia are an extremely popular teaching couple, with a large following. Brad has been dancing since 1997 first competed with Nadia in 2008. They have competed successfully at Advanced level since then. They have a vast array of very stylish moves, with a high level of musicality, in their repertoire.

As teachers they bring, not only great moves but plenty of styling tips and tricks for the girls. They love to watch their students growing in confidence as they develop new skills.

Donna & Paul have been dancing for many years, with Donna being a champion dancer emanating from UK. Together they have won championships in Australia.

This dynamic duo, known for their energy, are bursting with style and movement. Dancing and teaching for over 20 years, their knowledge of many dance styles, hip hop, lindy hop as well as Ceroc brings a broader perspective to their dancing.

Talented choreographers their routines are always great fun and extremely entertaining.

Bill & Tania have been dancing Ceroc since 1995. They have personality and character, making their classes great fun and extremely memorable.

They are best known for their choreography of exciting ball routines and winning team events at Ceroc championships. Bill's dynamic teaching style is very popular and with Tania loves to share in the teaching, especially leans and dips that will challenge. In all their routines they always offer simplified alternate moves for those who aren't up for the challenge.

Susan came to her very first class of Ceroc in 1991. By 1992 she had started teaching moving to Mainstream very quickly. She competed successfully for many years and most recently has concentrated on choreography. She really loves to help people progress with their dancing.

A very popular teacher on the southside, she, along with her husband Colin, and Bill and Tania Hannan, is part of the talented southside choreographic team.