Amy Jelfs Balbi
Owner Director
Amy began her dance training at the age of four, studying Ballet, Jazz and Tap. She attended Newtown High School of the Performing Arts—Australia’s leading performing arts high school—where she further developed her skills in Modern and Contemporary dance.
Amy went on to complete her Certificate IV in Performing Arts at Brent Street, earning representation with one of Sydney’s leading dance agencies. Her professional career included performances at numerous high-profile corporate events, including the opening of Fox Studios and the launch of Super Bowl Australia.
Career highlights include performing at Disneyland, Los Angeles, and appearing in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Amy also danced alongside iconic artists such as Marcia Hines, Kylie Minogue and Chris Isaak, and toured nationally with children’s entertainment productions The Powerpuff Girls and The Noddy Show.
After an extensive performance career, Amy discovered her true passion in the classroom—teaching, mentoring and sharing her knowledge with the next generation of dancers.
Amy co-owned and operated a dance studio in Randwick, Sydney, alongside her cousin for 12 years, growing it to over 300 students before selling the business in 2018. Studio ownership remains a deep passion for Amy, with a strong focus on building community, creating a home away from home for students, and supporting dancers to find the missing pieces that help them achieve their goals and turn their dreams into reality.
Alycia Keane
Acro
Alycia Keane is a professional dancer, performer, and teacher with over 15 years of experience across the dance, entertainment, and education industries. Trained at Dance Force Studios on the Gold Coast, Alycia holds a full-time Certificate IV in Performing Arts and has worked extensively as a touring and corporate performer both in Australia and internationally.
Her professional credits include national and international touring productions, corporate entertainment, and specialty performance work. Alongside her performance career, Alycia has been a dedicated dance educator since 2008, teaching students of all ages and levels across jazz, contemporary, lyrical, technique, strength, and acrobatics.
Alycia is passionate about creating a supportive and motivating learning environment, with a strong focus on correct technique, strength, confidence, and individual growth. She is excited to share her knowledge and experience with students and help them develop both their skills and love for dance.
Emee Dillon
Open Ballet/Conditioning
Emee was a part of the world renowned
Sydney Dance Company from 2004-2007 under Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon. She also stared as a guest artist for Australian Dance Theatre from 2008-2010 under Gary Stewart.
She moved into Yoga in 2011
becoming a Teacher at Power Living Yoga Australia to present day.
From 2015 Emee became a 200hr Yoga Teacher Trainer/Facilitator for Power Living Australia Yoga.
Emee has more recently studied to become a Polestar Pilates Mat facilitator and is now studying the Pilates studio/rehabilitative course, giving her more experience and depth working with dancers and those with injuries.
Laura Kate Terry
Contemporary Lyrical Ballet
Laura-kate Terry fell in love with dance when she was 14 when she was given the opportunity to perform with the the byron ballet company corps de ballet. Over eight years of hard work laura-Kate worked her way through the corps de ballet and is now currently a principal dancer with the company. Within this time with byron ballet company laura-Kate has been privileged to perform in ballets such as; the nutcracker Coppélia Peter and the Wolf, Les Sylphides, Paquita and Swan Lake. Her favourite production was performing the Chosen One in Rite of Spring.
Laura-Kate trained in Cecchetti ballet and prepared for auditions! In 2009 Laura-Kate was honoured to be selected to study full time dance at The Queensland Dance School of Excellence, it was here Laura-Kate was mesmerised by contemporary dance. Upon graduating from Queensland Dance School of Excellence in 2010 Laura-Kate was one of two selected to join Lucid Dance Theatre under Artistic Director, Louise Deleur. In 2012 Laura-Kate successfully auditioned for Queensland University of Technology and secured a placement studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, where she worked with choreographers such as Csaba Buday, Sammi Williams, Jason Duff and Graeme Murphy. Laura-Kate is now focusing on sharing her wealth of knowledge and love of dance to the next generation of dancers.
Zay Bornholt
HipHop
With 17 years of dance experience, Zay is a highly trained, award-winning choreographer known for versatility across all styles. A 2025 graduate of Dance Force Fulltime, they began teaching at the age of 12, building a strong foundation in both performance and education from an early age.
A career full of highlights include scholarship with Sydney Dance Company, travelled internationally to compete at SummerJam in Vietnam, and assisting renowned choreographers Australia wide including Amira Mollenhauer and Shania Rae.
Zay is super excited to be starting with Cape Performing Arts in 2026.
Madison Timchur
Madison is an experienced dancer and teacher with over 10 years of training, performance, and competition experience across all styles of dance. Dance is her greatest passion and has shaped who she is, both on and off the stage. Throughout her journey, she has performed and competed in numerous competitions and events, achieving highlights such as winning Miss GTB and being crowned Title Champion at the Supreme Dance Competition. Madison is currently completing her Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management, as she continues to grow her love for dance and can’t wait to further share it with others through teaching at Cape.
Carly Franklin
Ready Set Dance
Jazz & Tap
Carly Franklin began dancing at age five, learning the styles jazz, tap and ballet.
Training under the guidance of some of the industry’s best choreographers, Carly completed her Certificate IV in Performing Arts at Brent Street full time, earning her a spot in Sydney’s leading dance agency, Detour, run by PJ Clarke.
In her time as a commercial dancer, Carly worked across stage, film and fashion.
She danced for Marcia Hines and Kylie Minogue in the opening of Fox Studios, performed in the opening of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and appeared in several film clips for local artists including Natalie Bassingthwaite, KidMac & Australian Idol winner Wes Carr.
Other career highlights include performing at the Music Oz Awards and Disneyland Los Angeles. Contracts took her to Spain, Macau and Japan. She featured in a TV commercial for Vidal Sasson in Bangkok and Performed in numerous children's shows including Santa's Kingdom and Bananas in Pyjamas.
After traveling for many years, she found her passion was in the studio teaching her students. Carly taught at Dance Chora Randwick for 15 years, where she developed a strong rapport with the students and their families. She has taught at various Primary Schools in Sydney and gained the position of creative director at Coogee Public School, running their Dance and Drama Nida Production each year.
Carly is super excited to be starting her new chapter in Byron Bay.
Grace
Ballet
Grace began her ballet training in 1991 at Ballet For Babes in Lismore and continued her early training with Cecchetti teacher Monique Feain. She studied ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary at Northern Rivers Dance Studio, excelling in both Cecchetti and Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) styles. At age 12, she was scouted by Prudence Bowen and began private coaching, later joining the Queensland Youth Ballet. By 14, she was training full-time on the Gold Coast.
At 16, Grace won the Cecchetti Big Brother scholarship to visit acclaimed ballet studios internationally. Grace was a guest student at the Martha Graham School of Dance, Pineapple Studios, Theatre Basel , and the Royal Danish Ballet on the tour.
Grace returned to Sydney and completed the Certificate IV in Performing Arts at Brent Street Studios. Grace's career expanded into professional dance and performance, including a contract as a dancer and swing performer at Barcelo Karmina Palace in Mexico, where she learned Latin and traditional Mexican dance. She also worked as a commercial and corporate dancer in 2010-2013.
At 22, she took a break from dance to pursue a successful career as a DJ, performing at major clubs and festivals in Australia and Fiji. However, her passion for ballet led her back to teaching. She rejoined the RAD’s Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies in 2014, completing her final teaching exams in 2015. She furthered her expertise by studying Lisa Howell’s Level 1 & 2 Dance Teacher & Practitioner Programs and worked at The Institute of Dance Excellence.
In 2019, Grace moved to Byron Bay, where she taught RAD ballet at Kira Cullen Dance Company and Dance Force. The following year, she founded Grace Dance Academy.
In 2024 Grace joined CAPE and continued studies to become a certified pointe pre pointe assesor and flexibility specialist. She continues to share her expertise at CAPE Performing Arts and Grace Dance Academy.
With over three decades of experience in dance, performance, and teaching, Grace remains dedicated to inspiring the next generation of dancers.