Taras dance journey started at the age of 11. Training in Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary & Hip Hop Dance. Highlights include placing in the finals of the 2002 NZ Nationals for Jazz, performing with Showbiz Christchurch’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Westend to Broadway & Beauty & The Beast & spending 3 years Dancing for Canterbury Crusaders!

 

In 2012 Tara travelled to New York where she was part of a global dance convention for Dance teachers. After her return Tara was nominated for the Malvern Young Achievers Award which is an award for achievement in a professional career. Tara won this award for 2012. Choosing to follow her dreams, Tara left school to pursue a diploma in Commercial Dance at the Wellington Performing Arts Center. In subsequent years, she further honed her skills at the NZ Institute of Sport, earning a Personal Training Certificate.
 

Tara is the Owner and Director of TM Dance World and has been offering dance & fitness classes to the Malvern area for the past 12 years. Under Tara's guidance TMDW students sit internationally recognised dance examinations each year gaining exceptional results. All students are involved in a large end of year showcase & elite performance teams frequently have the opportunities to explore national & international dance events & competitions.  Travel highlights include attending Showcase Australia & Hollywood Bound held on the Royal Carribean Crusie Line.

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Alongside TM Dance World, Tara is also the owner of Creative Sparks Art Studio, Creative Sparks is located along side the dance studios where Tara continues to inspire creativity and confidence through the arts.

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In 2020, Tara & her team expanded their footprint, bringing dance classes to Oxford. The following year, TM Dance World received a nomination for the Selwyn Business Awards, securing a silver award for sports Leadership. Beyond her dance expertise, Tara is a devoted mother to Quinn (7yrs) & Maddie (5yrs). Her passion for the world of dance is not only evident in her mentorship of young dancers but also in nurturing a team of dedicated teachers emerging from her esteemed school.

Robyn started out as a competitive gymnast at age 5 in Christchurch. During this time she dabbled in ballet but ultimately decided that she needed to devote her time to gymnastics. She competed both nationally and overseas. She is also a qualified NZGA (New Zealand Gymnastics Association) judge and coach.

 

After gymnastics, Robyn found coaching competitive and recreational gymnasts rewarding, but missed the physical aspect of training and competing. Luckily, she went to school with Tara and Tara convinced her to give dancing a go.

 

Robyn has danced both competitively and for pleasure since 2001. She has sat Jazz and Ballet exams passing both with distinction. In 2005 she ran her local dance school while her teacher was on maternity leave.

 

Robyn became a school teacher in 2008 (currently working as a Year 7/8 teacher at Darfield High School) but found it hard to stay away from dance. 

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In January 2017, Robyn travelled to Brisbane with Tara to train and qualify as a Module 1 certified Acrobatic Arts teacher and later completed Module 2 in December 2022 which allows us to offer all levels of exams for the Acrobatic Arts Syllabus.

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​Lily has been dancing since the age of 3, training in Jazz, Contemporary, Acro, and Performance. She has completed APDA Jazz and Contemporary exams through to Advanced 2 Jazz and Level 9 Contemporary, and has many years of competition experience in solos, duos, trios, and teams.

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Alongside dance, Lily has shown strong leadership within her community. At Darfield High School she was Head of Wellbeing and Student Captain for the ShowQuest team, helping lead the team to 3rd place in the Canterbury finals in 2023. She is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Sport, Physical Activity and Wellbeing at the University of Canterbury.

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Lily began assisting classes at TM Dance World in 2016 before starting her own teaching journey in 2020. She now teaches a wide range of classes from minis through to senior dancers across recreational, exam, performance, and competition programs. Passionate about helping young dancers grow in confidence, skill, and love for dance, Lily brings warmth, encouragement, and dedication to every class she teaches.

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In 2023, Lily travelled to Sydney to attend the APDA Conference to further upskill in exam teaching. She was also recognised for her contribution to the dance community, receiving a Silver Award at the Selwyn Young Achiever Awards. In 2025, Lily was again recognised as a Top 5 finalist for the Selwyn Young Contributor Award.

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Working with children is one of Lily’s biggest passions & she can't wait to continue with TMDW to inspire more dancers.

Saba began attending ballet classes at the age of 5 and fell in love with it immediately!

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Saba has worked through the Royal Academy of Dance graded and vocational exams to an advanced level under Frances Scott and Sharon Howells. Saba completed her certificate in RAD Ballet Teaching Studies in 2018 and is a fully registered RAD teacher continuing her professional development with 20+ hours annually.

 

Saba is the artistic director of the Malvern Ballet School which she took over the reins from Frances Scott in 2019. Additionally Saba has studied music and performance at a tertiary level which gives her a greater understanding of musicality especially in dance! Saba is the head tutor for ballet classes at TM Dance World where she takes students aged 3+ - adults.

 

Saba is also a certified Booty Barre instructor which sees her taking fitness classes as well as teaching ballet.

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Alyssa began dancing at the age of four and has trained in a wide range of styles including Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Ballet, and Musical Theatre. Since the age of five, she has completed both NZAMD and APDA dance examinations, achieving several Top Tier awards in both Jazz and Contemporary.

 

Alyssa has been a dedicated member of our competition programme since the age of seven, beginning with her first Jazz solo and continuing on to perform in numerous solos, duos, trios, and team routines. Throughout her competition journey, Alyssa has celebrated many achievements, including placing in the Top 4 Junior Dancers at Evolution Dance Competition in 2020, and placing in the Top 9 Junior Dancers at Showcase Dance Competition. In 2024, Alyssa was selected as part of our Showcase team that travelled to the Gold Coast, Australia to compete internationally.

 

More recently, Alyssa competed at Dance NZ Made where she received a Gold Award, earning the opportunity to travel to Palmerston North to compete for a $1000 scholarship. In 2025, Alyssa also achieved an outstanding Top Tier result in her Musical Theatre examination, receiving an incredible score of 99.5%.

 

Alyssa began assistant teaching in 2023 before officially joining our teaching team in 2025, where she quickly discovered a true passion for teaching and mentoring young dancers. She is excited to continue growing within the dance industry and hopes to inspire confidence, passion, and a love of dance in every student she teaches.

Teresa began her dancing journey at the age of 5 with TM Dance World and Malvern Ballet where her love for dance grew. At the age of 12 she continued her passion at Levings School of Dance where she was selected to attend the New Zealand School of Dance Contemporary Associate programme in Wellington for 4 years. During this time she completed all RAD ballet exams with Distinction finishing at the highest level of Advanced 2, and also completed all Contemporary NZAMD exams with Distinction.

 

Some of her proudest competition achievements are NZ Top 5 Dancer of the year. South Island Ballet Awards Semi Finalist 2019 and 2021. Showcase Australia Battle of the Stars Group Champions x2, and 1st place National champion for her Lyrical and Ballet solos.

 

Teresa’s love for teaching first began at St Andrew’s College where she would teach contemporary classes. She soon began choreographing competition solos and groups for TM Dance World. Many of the solos and groups that Teresa has choreographed will be heading to Showcase Australia in 2024. 

 

Teresa also loves to hold modern technique classes to pass on knowledge that she has gained from world class teachers across Australia and New Zealand.

Georgie starting dancing with TM Dance World in 2017 and she has been immersed in the world of dance ever since, taking classes in Jazz, Ballet, Acro and Contemporary.  Georgie is also an integral team member of the TM performance teams and has had a large competition background.

 

Since joining TMDW, Georgie has embarked on an incredible dance journey, sitting APDA and Acrobatic Arts exams. Her achievements include four 'Top Tier' awards, two 'Highest Mark' awards, three 99/100 marks, and two perfect 100/100 scores. The Asia Pacific Dance Assocation is a global syllabus and these results are testament to Georgies dedication and exceptional talent!

 

Passionate about choreography, Georgie has showcased her creativity by contributing to teachers' dances, teams, duos, and solos. As a student teacher, she has crafted first-place winning self-choreographed solos, showcasing her flair for artistic expression.

 

Georgie's commitment to excellence extends beyond the studio. She annually attends the Dance NZ Made awards, earning three invitational tickets to the national finalists "She Shines On" competition.

 

Adding an international flair to her journey, Georgie auditioned for and was accepted into Brent Street Dance Academy in Sydney, Australia. There, she immersed herself in a spectrum of dance styles – lyrical, Hip-hop, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Acrobatics, Musical theatre, Heels, Singing, and Acting. Georgie returns to TMDW armed with newfound knowledge and is eager to infuse her experiences into teaching and choreography.

 

Georgie's passion for dance and performing drives her in her training at TM,  she is excited to share that passion with all her students this coming year.

At the age of 4 Caitlin started her dancing journey with the Malvern Ballet School and then started with TMDW when she was 8 . Caitlin takes classes in a variety of styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary and performance.

Upon Joining TMDW Caitlin completed NZAMD jazz exams and has transitioned with the rest of the school to the internatioanlly recognised APDA exams where she excels in both contemporary and jazz. Over recent years Caitlin has received 2 ‘ top tier’ awards which signify scoring in the top 5% of applicants.

 

Currently an integral part of the senior performance team at TMDW, Caitlin is gearing up for an exciting journey to Australia in January 2024 as a key member of the Showcase Team.

 

Caitlin is a passionate and hardworking dancer who enjoys all aspects of dance life and is excited to share her knowledge with the younger student during her time teaching with TMDW.