Dianne Leathem
Specialises in:
Dance
ARAD Associate Member Royal Academy of Dance (London)
Registered Teacher Royal Academy of Dance (London) A
TOD Affiliate Member Australian teachers of Dancing
CID Member International Dance Council
ADA Member Australian Dance Adjudicators Assn
Attaining the Royal Academy of Dance Advanced Certificate and Associate Member letters ARAD aged 16, Dianne is a former professional dancer.
A specialist ballet teacher for over 35 years, she directed her own Academies in New Zealand and Australia. Former Artistic Director and Choreographer for Bellder Ballet Theatre, Dianne is a highly sought after teacher of pre-professional and senior students and was honoured to work with internationally renowned Master Teacher Prudence Bowen and former Patron and Founding Member of the ATOD, Averil Binzer.
Dianne has produced, staged, choreographed, directed and designed many full-length and short ballets in Australia and NZ as well as choreographing and coaching for International, National and local competitions.
In 2011 Dianne was guest of the famed Vaganova Academy of Classical Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet Company, St Petersburg, Russia by invitation of Director Vera Dorofeeva and Artistic Director and former Principal of the Mariinsky Ballet, Altynai Asylmuratova.
Dianne observed all levels of training at the Vaganova School and toured the school and backstage/onstage at the Mariinsky Theatre. Returning to St Petersburg in 2022 and attending performances of the major classical ballets performed by the Mariinsky Ballet, Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet and Jacobson Ballet Company, Dianne had the great honour of meeting the Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Ballet Company, Andrian Fadeev on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
She has been a guest of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT & American Ballet Theatre in New York, the Australian Ballet and many others. Dianne has had the privilege of attending performances by all the major ballet companies worldwide.
A highly qualified and very experienced Dance Adjudicator throughout Australia and New Zealand, Dianne has adjudicated numerous ballet scholarships and Repertoire competitions, the most recent being the prestigious Peacocke Dance Trust Ballet Award in Auckland NZ.