Meet our Teachers
Meet our fully qualified, experienced teaching team:
Principal/Owner: Brooke Longworth
Brooke started dancing at the age of 5 at the Dianne Wood School of Dancing, and over her childhood years became a very involved competitive and examination dancer winning many major awards and most outstanding titles. She started assistant teaching at the age of 12, was hired to choreograph students by 15, and by 16 was running classes independently and choreographing for competitive troupes alongside her studies. At the age of 17 she sat her CSTD teaching certificate exam at the youngest permitted age, and was successful in attaining her first teaching qualification.
Brooke was entrusted to take over her teacher’s school and did so at the age of 19, starting AIM Dance Company. Over the past twelve years she has doubled the school in size, maintained a 100% examination pass rate, upgraded to larger studios, and won a multitude of competition awards. In 2018 she also sat her CSTD teaching diploma, the highest available qualification, and was successful, with the examiner asking her if she’d like to edit the CTSD anatomy theory textbook in future.
In her early years of running the school Brooke also completed a Physiotherapy degree with 1stclass Honours, as well as lead groundbreaking research into Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in Young Ballet Dancers, which was published in a leading international medical journal and won several prestigious research and university awards. She has also been an expert for newspaper articles regarding injuries in dancers. Upon graduation Brooke began working at a metro hospital alongside her dancing and teaching work. Today she continues to work as a physiotherapist, primarily in acute post-surgical orthopaedic and neurosurgical rehabilitation, and enjoys bringing her physiotherapy and anatomy knowledge into her dance teaching to create well-learned students with an enhanced understanding of anatomy, injury prevention and management and rehabilitation and exercise progression principles, which benefits them enormously in their careers.
Professionally, Brooke did a wide range of performance jobs both locally in Perth and in the eastern states. She has performed several times at Universal Studios, Disney parks in California and Orlando, and Kennedy Space Centre. Brooke was selected by an adjudicator to dance at the grand opening of Sydney Art Gallery and was flown to Sydney to work with an industry leader and perform at the event. Whilst there she also helped run several workshops in the Sydney area at schools advocating both dance and disability inclusion. She also was represented by Entertainment Bank for several years, under which she worked a vast range of public performance, promotional, and community both as herself and various characters. She has also been contracted to choreograph public performances and flash mobs for various organizations and government departments.
Brooke has also expanded into the world of adjudicating dance competitions, after being invited to adjudicate and share her technical expertise at several competitions. She greatly enjoyed sharing her knowledge with a wide range of Perth’s dancers.
Brooke has had a successful teaching career, with students achieving outstanding examination and competition results. Several of Brooke’s students have gone on to full time dance programs, been accepted into international programs or have gone on to teach in the eastern states. She is a firm believer in continuing to stay relevant and knowledgeable in the industry, and regularly undertakes professional development courses as well as travelling to New York to work with the worlds’ leading choreographers to stay updated and current.
As a teacher, Brooke is a firm believer in unlocking a child’s love for dance in order to allow them the best results. She works to inspire, educate, challenge and build confidence in her students, to give them the tools to want to push themselves as performers and become the best they can be.
Acrobatics Teacher – Cheryl West
Cheryl has been teaching dance/acrobatics for over 25 years. She trained at 'Trembath School of Dancing' in CSTD specializing in Modern Jazz, Tap and Acrobatics. She was accepted with a well renowned Dance Company and toured Asia working at major venues in Singapore, Malaysia, Korea (where she performed at the Seoul Olympics), and Japan. Cheryl then went on to establish her own Dance Company in Japan. For 15 years she employed numerous professional dancers and artists for large Productions where she was Choreographer, Producer and Director.
For the past 12years she has enjoyed teaching children Acrobatics at AIM Dance Company with the hope they will find the same passion she did for many years to come.
Hip Hop Teacher – Chelsea Sewell
Chelsea Sewell has loved being on stage performing from a very young age.
At the age of 15 she was accepted into Principal Academy of Dance and has completed her cert 4, diploma and advanced diploma in performing arts majoring in dance. Chelsea then went on to complete her professional semester at Broadway Dance Center in New York City.
The past couple of years she has been in and out of the country working in the dance industry. Some highlights of her career are performing as a back up dancer for the singer Jason Derulo in New York City as well as completing a contract in Dubai as a dancer at Dubai Parks and Resorts. Her latest accomplishment has been performing for Royal Caribbean International on board the worlds largest cruise ship Harmony of the Sea’s.
Teacher, various classes: Caitlin Wainwright
Caitlin has been dancing her whole life, taking classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz and tap, including competitions, exams and community performances. Over the years she has completed exams in a large range of dance syllabi, most recently completing her CSTD Theatrical Grade 8 and her Elementary Ballet exams. In 2020, Caitlin achieved her Theatrical & Performing Arts Teachers Certificate through CSTD and is looking forward to further expanding her teaching knowledge and skills. In addition to this, she has also choreographed Musical Theatre performances in Mandurah and the Perth region, and has also spent time as a Drama and Music Theatre teacher at a local Performing Arts school.
We also have a wide range of assistant/student teachers and choreographers.
