Irene Toro
Bailemos Dance Classes
Irene has been in the Sydney Salsa scene for well over 20yrs and was the owner of Bailemos Dance Classes, one of the first Salsa schools in Western Sydney.
Irene has trained with the finest dancers from Australia and around the world. She was fortunate to be a part of Sydney Salsa Congress (now known as Sydney Latin Festival) since its inception in 2003 where she worked with volunteers and instructors, taught workshops, and performed on the main stage.
In 2009 she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition for her contribution to the Australian Latin Dance community. Irene is trained in many forms of dance ranging from Belly dance to Ballroom and has significant experience in stage performance through her involvement in the Latin scene and musical theatre. Irene’s passion for music comes across in her teaching, and she loves watching people learn and use their personalities in their dancing.
Racquel Holmes
LKM Performing Arts
Racquel is a versatile performer and choreographer whose journey in the arts began at the age of three. With a passion for dance, she trained in various styles, including Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Ballet. Her foundation led to a vibrant career spanning corporate events, fashion, modelling, and dance education.
Racquel completed her Diploma of Performing Arts at Brent Street, refining her skills under esteemed choreographers and completed courses in Acrobatic Arts and Pre-Professional Dance. Her performances have graced prominent stages, including the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne's Crown Casino, and she has competed in numerous Australian competitions, winning a scholarship at the 2010 Australian Dance Festival.
She has represented brands like Peter Alexander, Sports Girl, and Adidas at major events such as Fashion Week and the Golden Slipper. As a dedicated teacher, Racquel inspires the next generation of dancers, and she has also served as a cheerleader for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, captivating fans with her energy.
Her extensive experience includes performances at high-profile events like the Women’s State of Origin and the Premier's Gala Concert, as well as travels across Australia and the U.S. to enhance her craft. With a career that beautifully blends performance, teaching, and modelling, Racquel continues to be a dynamic force in the arts, dedicated to sharing her love of dance.
Brock Rankmore
Vivid Performing Arts
Brock Rankmore is a performer, choreographer and teacher that started dancing at the age of 11 in Sydney. He has a Certificate III in Dance Teaching and an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts from ED5 International. Brock has appeared in Dance Academy: The Movie as one of Christian’s dancers. He has also appeared on Channel 7 as a featured dancer in Schools Spectacular for Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary/Lyrical as well as a Soloist for Indigenous Dancing & most recently in Carols in the Domain 2023. He has performed at the Government House Dinner, Australia Day Concert at the Opera House and Australia Day Opening Ceremony on NITV as part of the NSW Aboriginal Dance Company partnered with Bangarra. Brock has trained and performed under Loredo Malcolm as both a Dance Captain and Assistant for LOcREaDO Dance Company. His Theatre Credits include Footloose: The Musical and as Nick Piazza in Fame: The Musical. Brock loves teaching and inspiring the next generation of dancers in Penrith and can’t wait to raise money for the Cancer Council with Stars of Penrith.
Casey Seib
Vivid Performing Arts
Casey’s lifelong passion for dance and performance has seen her become a versatile, highly knowledgeable artist. From a young age, Casey trained across a range of commercial, classical and contemporary styles and completed a number of formal dance examinations; most notably receiving a Distinction for her RAD Advanced 1 exam. She extended this training at Ev & Bow, where she had the privilege of working with a diverse faculty of quality artists. Here, she was given the exciting opportunity to dance at the launch of PENELOPE’s single BiConic.
Casey is not only an accomplished performer, but also a skilled educator. 2020 saw her complete a Bachelor of Dance Education at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE), and she now currently teaches Dance and PDHPE within a secondary school in Western Sydney. During her time at ACPE, Casey also competed with the university’s award-winning cheer and dance teams; an experience which exposed her to the exciting world of cheerleading and pom. You can currently catch her performing as a cheerleader for the NRL Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs!
Casey is beyond excited to be a part of Stars of Penrith in 2025!
Tamara Flynn
Penrith Gaels Maher Lenihan School of Irish Dance
Tamara has lived in Penrith her whole life, attending local primary and high schools in the area and went to the Western Sydney University Kingswood campus. Tamara has been Irish dancing for 25 years. She began dancing at the age of 3 and now teaches with the Penrith Gaels Maher Lenihan School of Irish Dance. In her dancing career, she has competed in state, national and world championships, completed the Riverdance Summer School program and performed all over Sydney on St Patricks day over the years. Tamara was the NSW state champion and top five in the nation for majority of her competitive career. A few highlights of her dancing career include; Performing for Sunrise, the Kerry-Anne Kennerly show, Dancing on Playschool, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.
"I feel so excited to be a part of this experience, especially as the cause is close to my heart, having had family members with their own Cancer Stories."
Jaxon Dunn
Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School
Jaxon first started dancing when he was 6 years old and currently attends Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School. He has studied hip hop, jazz, lyrical, and various circus skills such as Lyra, German Wheel, Globe, Juggling, Unicycle & Aerial Silks.
Jaxon attended Stars of Penrith 2025 and performed the opening act as well as featuring in his Mothers performance. After getting a taste of the big stage in 2024 he couldnt be more excited to join the team and be a dance teacher in 2025!
Esther Ambrus-Davis
Team Skatel - Artistic Roller Skating Club
* World Skate Level 3 Coach and Elite level Coach with Skate Australia.
* World Games Silver Medalist in Artistic Roller Skating
* 35 Years experience teaching Roller Skating
Dr. Kanan Shah
Nartan Institute of Performing Arts
“Dance is a form of strength and happiness that gives energy to manage well with all aspects of life, an ultimate source of satisfaction”-the philosophy on which this Institute works. Established in 2012, this is the 12th Year for Nartan Institute of Performing Arts fondly known as NIPA.
Dr. Kanan Shah, the Founder and Director of NIPA, is a pharmacist with a Doctorate in Pharmacology and Director of PharmaVision Consultancy.
Formally trained in Bharatnatyam she has over two decades of experience in teaching, coaching and mentoring, with an inner craving to take the art of dance to the next generation without compromising the lineage and quality of the true art.
Dr. Shah's passion for dance is matched by her commitment to community service. She actively participates in numerous cultural and community events and has served as a judge at various dance competitions and talent shows organized by local, community, national, and international organizations. Notably, she was a panel member for the 2022 Multicultural Awards by Blacktown Council.
Dr Shah has been a very big advocate for Dance as therapy and been engaged in special workshops for Seniors, Pre-school kids, After-school programs and at Centres for people with disability. Dr Shah was featured in the Dance of the Hindu God’s Multimedia exhibition at Parliament of Victoria with her Bharatnatyam Performance. Her story has been featured in the 3rd edition of esteem "Beyond Boundries" book as well as her migrant story was featured in ABC news.
Katrina Delbrudge Holt
You Should be Dancing
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.
Raymund Estil
Urban Salsa
Raymund has been dancing and teaching Salsa for over 20 years, and is the director of Urban Salsa which is based in Parramatta. Raymund’s passion for Latin dance is only matched by his passion for sharing the joy and benefits of dance with as many people as possible. His main goal is to build the Latin dance scene in western Sydney and he does this through fun classes and events at Urban Salsa.
