THE TEAM

Our incredible team of Teacher/ Choreographers are passionate and dedicated to dance education.

Rachel Bell

Studio Director/ Teacher/ Choreographer

Rachel is the dance school director of Dance Out Loud Waiheke & the original Dance Out Loud founded in Wanaka in 2013. Rachel started teaching when she was 14yrs old starting a dance school part time over the last 30+years she has owned & operated successful schools in Christchurch, Wanaka and Denmark. Rachel has a dance background in RAD Ballet to Advanced level & NZAMD Jazz and as an adult student also completed her RAD Advanced Exam & received the highest marks in Australasia 2011 when she took her Jazz Solo Seal with JazzAddict. She has vast experience in putting on large scale stage shows, choreographing for musicals, preparing students for Jazz & Ballet examinations, creating opportunities for teaching internships & extension programmes and creating competition routines. A creative and a big dreamer of ideas and possibilities, Rachel is passionate about creating a space for everyone to access dance regardless of their age or ability. " Learning to dance is more than just about the steps" It is about learning to be part of a team, to set goals, to understand your body & your emotional process, opening yourself to new relationships & friendships, trusting your teacher and holding yourself accountable. Through a beautiful & fun artform humans are shaped and nurtured, as are the teachers! This is the most precious part of my job and it makes me so proud that our team can offer this to our community.

Anna McMaster

Jazz/ Ballet / Tap / Acro Teacher / Choreographer & Pilates Instructor

Anna was born in New Zealand but raised in Hong Kong for 18 years, where she developed a love of dance from the age of three at the DMR School of Ballet. After reaching Advanced 2 in ISTD Tap and Modern Theatre and Advanced 1 in RAD Classical Ballet, she pursued a career in professional dance and was accepted to the prestigious Northern Ballet School in Manchester, England to train professionally for 3 years becoming a triple threat. Whilst training full time, Anna also began her ISTD Diploma in Dance Education in Classical Ballet, Tap and Modern Theatre that she is due to complete at the beginning of 2022. Anna returned to Hong Kong during the pandemic and took this time to train to become a Polestar Pilates Practitioner specialising in the reformer. Anna also choreographed two musicals, Singing In The Rain and The Sound of Music for Harmony Tree International for which she achieved a Trinity Award. Anna’s family relocated back to New Zealand in late 2020 and since then she has been working at Connect Studio as a reformer pilates teacher or you might have seen her at Charlie's. Anna is looking forward to joining the Dance Out Loud family, passing on her knowledge and assisting the children in achieving their goals.

Maya Erichsen

Teacher/ Hip Hop performer/ Choreographer

Maya is energetic, bold, creative and passionate about everything HIP HOP! She loves to explore the styles within this huge genre of dance of which she herself is so inspired by through her own training in the Auckland Hip Hop community. Maya has been dancing for 12 years, originally in all styles but since moving to Auckland in 2019, her focus has been solely on Hip Hop. She loves how hip hop explores various rhythms & musicality, dynamics & textures, and how Hip Hop is such a sharing and exchange of dance inspiration. Maya has been in competitive Hip Hop crews since she moved to Auckland. In 2022 she will be part of the Masque Crew & YungID Megacrew with Identity Dance Company (IDCO) a leading company on the National & International Hip Hop scene. Maya is also expanding her teaching/ choreography with being Crew Leader / Choreographer to Junior & Varsity Hip Hop Crews @ Dance Out Loud Wanaka that will compete nationally this year. Maya fully understands what it is like to grow up in a small community (Wanaka) and have a passion for dance and what it is like to start from the very beginning. Maya is excited to grow and develop a passion for hip hop amongst our students & is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experience with you all. 

Kayla Hamilton

Dance Teacher & Choreographer / Acting Graduate

Kayla started her dance journey at four, taking Ballet, Jazz and Tap classes at the Rose McRae Dance Academy. Ballet was her first love, and she completed the Royal Academy of Dance Classical Ballet exams throughout her childhood up to Advanced Foundation. At twelve, Kayla began training in other styles, such as Contemporary, Lyrical and Modern, with the Louise Emma Academy of Dance, as well as furthering her performance skills with Kaleidoscope Performing Arts. Kayla discovered her love of the stage through regular performances at dance competitions throughout New Zealand, including the National Young Performing Arts finals. In 2017, an injury forced her to stop her dance training, and Kayla turned to filmmaking and acting, writing and directing a short film that has been screened in film festivals worldwide. In 2024, Kayla’s love for performing saw her graduate from 3 years of Drama School, and she is now pursuing a career as an actor. Kayla is excited to join the Dance Out Loud team, and she is looking forward to sharing her passion for dance and performing with the school.

Ava Cash

Dance  teacher  & senior dancer
Ava is a dedicated hard working senior dancer that has been part of the school for many years.  She is a competitive dancer in various genres & has been part of our competitive troupes.  Ava assists Anna in our Acro classes and is a relief teacher for junior Jazz/ Ballet / Contemporary/ Musical Theatre.