Lauren Choukri
With over 30 years of experience as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, teacher trainer, and adjudicator, Lauren has an impressive career in the dance industry. Her credits include teaching and choreographing for Dancing with the Stars Australia, training numerous American Style Smooth & Rhythm Amateur Dance champions, winning choreographic awards, appearing on television, judging prestigious competitions, and performing in and producing stage shows internationally.
Known for her technical expertise, inspiring instruction, and engaging teaching style, Lauren is passionate about sharing her knowledge with students of all ages and abilities. She is dedicated to fostering a positive, empowering, and inclusive dance culture.
After a decade-long hiatus from performing due to a near career-ending foot injury, Lauren is returning to the stage for this special event, as Cancer Council holds deep personal significance for her. Cancer has profoundly impacted her family—her grandmother, sister, and mother battled breast cancer, her mother also faced leukemia, her father was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and she lost a close family friend to pancreatic cancer. Lauren’s commitment to this cause is not just professional but deeply personal.
Aaron Noble
Having been heavily involved in award-winning productions from a young age, Aaron decided to focus his efforts on tap dance in 2015. He has received training from The Forge Tap Project, Tap Dogs and other leading figures in Australian tap dance. After receiving an Emerging Artist award from the Australian Tap Dance Festival in 2017, he featured in The Forge Tap Company’s inaugural performance, Alpha, and created the tap duo Two Soles with Tania Gould.
After spending the summer of 2020 in Auckland teaching classes and choreographing competition pieces, he spent the subsequent lockdowns directing a long-distance video collaboration between 20+ tap dancers from across Australia and beyond.
Aaron spends his time teaching tap all over Sydney, training students of all ages and ability levels, including advanced diploma students at major national performing arts institutions, and leading masterclasses for the Australian Tap Dance Festival and the Sydney Tap Festival.
Mahlia King
Mahlia King is a Sydney based performer, teacher and choreographer who trained at Evolution performance centre then went on to graduate at ED5 International with a Diploma in Performing Arts in 2021. Mahlia has worked with choreographers William Alexander Forsythe, Shannon Burns, Daniel Assetta, Ryan Smith, Dolce Fisher, Caroline Kaspar, Blake John Wood and more. Mahlia’s love for singing has been fostered by singing coaches Martin Crewes and Phillip Filo. As a performer, Mahlia HAS had the opportunity to perform with professional contemporary company Twisted Element, showcasing two works, “Ritual” and “Opus”. Mahlia has also provided roving entertainment as part of the Queen Victoria Building’s “Beating Heart of the QVB” Installation. Mahlia has choreographed and danced in the Hot Potato Band’s music video “It’s your own body”. Mahlia has been involved in Australia Day TVCs, as well as appearing in the film “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway”. Mahlia is really passionate about teaching in a fun, positive and engaging way, specifically fostering elements of creativity and individuality in all her students. Mahlia has now taken on our Front Desk Administration role and is looking forward to learning how it all works behind the scenes.
Kaitlin Serrano
Lulu from Bananas in Pajamas started Kaitlin's love of dance. From spinning around her living room in her first tutu to enrolling in ballet classes. She went on to train under the head of the Cecchetti Society in Australia, and danced the Can Can at annual Bastille Day Festivities.
Attending a Performing Arts High School before jumping at the change to be a choreographer's assistant on the first season of SYTYCD opened up the world of Performance Art beyond performing.
Having studied styles from Ballet to Ballroom, she fell in love with teaching and has gone on to complete her teacher training in F.A.T.D Tap & Jazz, Cecchetti Ballet, Barre, and American Rhythm & Smooth.
Mercedes Olivera
I am a Latin Dancer and have been blessed enough to have started dancing at the age of 6. Starting with Peruvian folklore dance, then venturing into Jazz and lyrical, and now I specialise in Salsa, Bachata, Ladies Styling, Body Movement, Samba, Reggaeton and overall dance technique. I am a multiple times Australian Salsa and Bachata champion and I work and teach workshops all around Australia as well in Miami and Boston. I was one of the 10 selected couples in the world to represent Australia in a project called “Salsa Around the World” by the recording label Fania, and whilst all of this sounds amazing, I can also say I’ve lost more competitions than I’ve won.
Dancing is the purest form of joy and expression, and it is crucial to remember the reason why we have chosen to dance. There is very little growth in always winning and shining, but there is a huge amount of growth in losses and disappointments. A great coach once told me, ‘trophies rust, but memories last forever’, and this is exactly what I aim to pass on to my students every single time I teach. It’s never about the destination, it is only the process and the company that truly matters and shapes you as a person.
Katrina Holt
I’m so excited to be returning for another Stars event after a thrilling draw-winning experience at Stars of the Beaches with my business partner, Sally! Born in Sydney. Left school at 14 to study full-time ballet at Ecole Classique on the North Shore under the highly respected Prudence Bowen (Principal and RAD Examiner).
After a year and a half Katrina decided to return to school and pursue a different career in public relations but still had a passion for dancing and fitness. This led her to competing in Aerobic competitions and dancing in amateur productions as well as dancing in the Winfield Cup and in 1986 dancing at Wembley stadium in London for the inaugural Superbowl game which was televised around the world!
She then stopped dancing and focussed on her other passion - long distance running! Training every day for half marathons. It was in her late forties that she realised she must dance again! She became a jazzercise instructor for three years in Warriewood as well as being involved in classes for seniors with the novel use of headphones with her fellow dance enthusiast Sally! She soon realised that it was choreography and the interpretation of music that was her biggest passion!!!
Katrina and Sally always shared a real joy for dance so much so they formed their company You Should Be Dancing together, which has been successfully running for five years offering weekly dance classes for all ages and abilities!!!
They want everyone to feel the joy of dance!
My motivation is from wanting to see something positive come from the sad loss of my mother and father from cancer. My sister has also battled and survived and most recently my special friend and business partner Sally, has had to be brave and strong as she is going through her cancer journey.
Sally Fuller
I’m so excited to be returning for another Stars event after a thrilling draw-winning experience at Stars of the Beaches with my business partner, Katrina. l truly can’t remember a time when l wasn’t dancing. From pre-school ballet/tap, school productions, competitive ballroom as a young adult, becoming a qualified Jazzercise instructor and even leading silent discos through the streets of Sydney. I love dance to learn, teach and feed my heart and soul. In 2006 my Dad was diagnosed with dementia. His decline over the years that followed left him unable to communicate or recall his life. But with the right dance moves and music he remembered all the words to songs and would sing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, even nursery rhymes! So with Dad and my baby girls we danced - the lounge room, kitchen, local parks even when shopping. We sang and danced like no one was watching with passion, love, and Dad was totally present and engaged with his family. Dad led me to my true calling - bring the joy of dance to people of all ages and abilities so they feel connected.
In 2019, Katrina and I started You Should Be Dancing! and have been business partners ever since. Together we proudly deliver our inclusive business model facilitating all our dance classes, creating choreography and teaching our one-of-a-kind class formats to communities encompassing seniors, aged care, special needs and disability + those still looking for a night club dance experience after work. Our weekly dance classes continue to grow, connecting communities while promoting a healthy mind, body and lifestyle. With a diverse recipe of music eras and custom routines across a variety of genres such as disco, Latino, salsa, jazz, country and more! we truly have something for everyone. We have even been interviewed by Sunrise on Ch7 for our dance classes which has been such a thrill.
My words of advice to those who love to have a good boogie and feed the mind and soul - every day take a moment to step onto your dance floor and dance like nobody is watching! Oh, and I still dance with my now grown-up girls in the kitchen
In 2023 l was diagnosed with breast cancer starting an unsure journey for myself, my family and friends. My family have loved and lost individuals from cancer and we have supported fundraising for cancer research, but l never expected a cancer journey of my own. To have this opportunity after my diagnosis and those of family and friends, it is an honour to be a part of such a worthy cause. From the amazing dance community within You Should Be Dancing and the incredible Cancer Council services and care teams, the phrase “it takes a village” couldn’t be more accurate - I returned to dancing and haven’t stopped.
