Our Tutors
Meet the Artists Behind the Studio
Led by founder Rejane Garcia, our tutors bring decades of international experience, deep technical knowledge, and a shared love for teaching adults.
Rejane Garcia
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Born in Brazil, Rejane Garcia is a tutor, choreographer, and artistic director who has performed and taught all over the world. She began her training in classical ballet at Maria Olenewa State Dance School in Rio de Janeiro at the age of nine, following the Vaganova Method and graduating in 1997.
Rejane received a scholarship to study at Centro Pro-Danza in Havana, Cuba, under the directorship of Laura Alonso, where she gained professional experience by performing with Ballet Laura Alonso as an apprentice. In 1999, she moved to London to study classical ballet at the London Studio Centre with Margaret Barbieri, where she was awarded a scholarship. She later pursued teacher training in ballet technique with the Royal Academy of Dance under the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA).
As a UK-based freelance dance artist, Rejane worked with Images Ballet Company, Dora Frankel Dance, Nu Tempo Dance Company, Second Hand Dance Company, and Surrey Dance Collective with choreographers such as Gary Clarke, Wayne Sleep, Boris Storojkov, Mark Baldwin, Jean Abreu, Dora Frankel, and Rosie Heafford, among others. She performed and taught at institutions including the British Museum, City Academy, The Place, Sadler’s Wells, Cochrane Theatre, and Channel 4.
Rejane is passionate about access to dance and dance education and has taught for all ages and abilities, from professional ballet dancers from the English National Ballet to groups of children and adults with disabilities and over 60s.
On her latest trip to Russia, Rejane taught at the World Congress in Dance Research and was awarded by the International Dance Council-Unesco for her contribution to arts and heritage.
Since relocating to Adelaide in 2019, Rejane continues to teach, choreograph and direct her institution Dance Alive as well as co-found Adelaide Ballet, the premier ballet company of South Australia.
Sarah Humeniuk
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Sarah began dancing at four years old. At 15 years old, Sarah was accepted into the Royal Ballet School London (on scholarship third year). During her time at the school, she was always involved in the choreographic areas and won many awards. After graduating, Sarah performed with the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, and Birmingham Royal Ballet. She then toured Europe dancing with various companies, including the Paris Opera.
She worked with such greats, including Margot Fonteyn and Mikhail Baryshnikov, as well as more modern masters, including Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris, Like Water for Chocolate, Alice and other works). Lucinda Dunn, Adam Blanch, and Ross Coleman. Sarah began performing in many musical theatre productions in her late twenties, including Shout, My Fair Lady, and Joseph. In recent years, she has choreographed for theatre companies in Adelaide. Sarah has been teaching and choreographing for 25 years.
Currently, Sarah teaches and choreographs all genres of dance. Her speciality in classical technique includes RAD, Cecchetti, ISTD, Borovansky, and the Royal Ballet method. Many of her long-term students have become accomplished professional dancers with some of the world’s leading ballet companies. Sarah is a committed educator and mentor for elite young dancers and is passionate about creating meaningful pathways and training and development opportunities for Australia’s next generation of dance artists.
Aki Pargaliti
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Aki began her ballet journey at the age of four, training under the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus and completing her Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced 2 examinations. She later pursued further studies at the London Studio Centre and Rambert Ballet School in England.In 2000, she was honoured with the Akiko Tachibana Ballet Scholarship. Her professional dance career in Japan included performances as a principal and soloist in major classical works such as Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Coppélia, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, Paquita, and Giselle. She also made notable television appearances, including a flexibility challenge on “Tokoro-san no Megaten” and a feature exploring why ballet dancers don’t get dizzy.
Her versatility extended into contemporary ballet. After being selected through national auditions, she performed in productions such as Carnival of Animals and Mozart Piano Concerto with the Japanese Ballet Association.
As a teacher, Aki has worked with students from age three to adult at Miyaki Ballet Studio in Tokyo. While living in Adelaide, she taught local children ballet in Japanese through private group classes. She later continued teaching in Japan at various schools, including those following RAD and BC syllabus. Since returning to Adelaide, Aki has been an integral part of Adelaide Ballet from its early development.