Cie is the Director of LifeHouse Creative Arts, having nurtured a dream of beginning a creative arts school for the community for many years. She is passionate about seeing people find joy in creativity, and loves that moment when a child smiles during a lesson, having honed a new skill or finally ‘got it’ as they repeat their steps.

 

A dancer since primary school, many of Cie's childhood memories revolve around the fun of sport and movement. She always found herself drawn to the team aspect of creativity and performance — more focussed on the joy of the experience than the pull of competition.

 

For the last two-plus decades Cie has built upon her personal experience as a dancer, leading church dance groups of all ages. Her role has seen her regularly choreograph multi-layered performances for Christmas carols and other community events, including a combination of dance styles, from Hip-Hop to Jazz and Contemporary.

 

Cie is the Senior Pastor of LifeHouse Church along with her husband, and a mum of four. She is a people person, beach lover and passionate foodie. In her spare time, you’ll find her walking along one of our beautiful local beaches or down at the marina getting an ice-cream.

Shay has been dancing since she was five years old. She describes herself as “always on the move”, whether that’s physically moving or exercising her mind and imagination. Shay has always loved both Jazz and Contemporary dance, each for their own unique take on creativity. Jazz is her go-to genre for fun, energetic movement and up-beat music that always makes people smile. Contemporary allows for more expression and is rich with different techniques and layered elements.

 

Being a dance teacher has always been a dream for Shay. “I am looking forward to meeting all the students and getting to know them, teaching them skills, and having fun in a positive environment.”

 

Shay's happy place is being with family and friends at the beach.

Luca’s passion for dance began at the age of three and she is still passionately dancing a range of genres including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and acro. She is very excited to inspire the next generation of dancers through creative choreography and a focus on building confidence and technique.

 

“I can’t wait to encourage and inspire all my beautiful dancers and help them reach their full potential”.

For Luca, there are only two rules in dancing:
1. Try your hardest
2. Have fun
...because that really is what it’s all about!

Luca loves being around people and always strives to have fun and make people laugh. She also loves going to the beach and cooking for others! 

Jace has grown up in a family passionate about art and creativity. She was (and still is) greatly inspired by her father, Wayne de Jong, a local painter. She was inspired by the magnificent, large-scale, colourful pieces her dad would create and would dream of creating pieces that made people ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ in the same way.

 

She really began passionately practicing acrylic art when she was in grade 9. During this period, she spent most of her spare time with a paintbrush in her hand. Since then, she has created many artworks, including commissions for various people.

 

Besides painting, she loves to mountain bike, surf and play soccer. She is very excited to help your child express their creativity this year!

Michelle discovered her love for painting in 2008. In her younger years, art was more of a conundrum than a passion. However, at the age of thirty — while pregnant with her twins — she experienced a profound shift. As Michelle marvels, “Who would have thought that being pregnant with twins would have such an effect on one's creative capabilities?” Michelle completed two terms of professional art classes and just as she finished, sold her first piece of artwork — the first of many.

 

Michelle’s favourite visual art genres are Abstract Art and Realism, or Abstract Realism, which is a marriage of the two. She enjoys using a variety of mediums, but predominantly works with oils and acrylics. She has fun exploring a range of different styles using patterns, texture, and colour to create her works. Most of her inspiration is drawn from nature.

 

Michelle describes her journey into the art world as “miraculous”, and finds it a joy to pass the positivity of her experience, her skills and her passion for art on to others.

Sydney is a talented musician who started learning music from a young age. Growing up in a musical family, she is an all-rounder who began learning guitar from the age of seven and drums from the age of twelve. Sydney has been the lead singer in her family’s band since she was in year seven at school, and has pursued music as a passion throughout her life. As a recent year 12 graduate and first year uni student, Sydney’s passion for music continues to grow as she develops her craft - singing at church, in the jazz band ‘Six Again’, fronting her family band ‘Hometown Revival’ and playing gigs on a semi-regular basis.

 

She is excited to share her skills and love of music with students at LHCA. In her free time, Sydney loves spending time with her friends and family.

Eric Blair is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in music. Eric holds both a Bachelors and Masters of Music, completed in the US, and he has a passion for teaching, performing and playing in bands. As a versatile musician, Eric possesses an understanding of various musical genres and instruments, making him the ideal mentor to guide your child on their musical journey within a band setting.

 

Eric also teaches music at the high school level and leads his own family band, which frequently performs at local community events. When he's not in the world of music education, you can often find Eric unwinding at the local coffee shop, soaking up the sun at the beach, or spending quality time with his family.

Keren has a deep love for both music and people! 

 

She has worked with neurotypical and neurodivergent people of all ages for 30 years in her Music My Way piano studio and Music for Life disability sessions. Keren holds an Associate Performance Diploma from Trinity College London (ATCL — Pianoforte), and is completing her BArts (Music and Psychology).

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Along with Adrian Penny and a fabulous volunteer team, she runs the free ‘GrooveHouse all-in’ music and movement group for all abilities — now in its eighth year. Keren loves how music is accessible to everyone, and how utilising a wide variety of instruments and activities can bring joy, enhance cognitive, motor, speech & sensory skills, help with self-regulation and relaxation, and build confidence and opportunities for self-expression.

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Keren and her husband are raising 3 wonderful young adults including a daughter with non-verbal autism, and complex motor and intellectual delays. In her spare time, she loves bike riding, being adventurous, swimming and cake! 

Mick has lived a richly musical life! He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has featured on internationally released albums and movies, and has extensive live performance and sound production experience.

   

Locally, he is well known for his contribution to the Tallowood Bush Band, performing with the group since 1980.

 

For 8 years he has volunteered his time at GrooveHouse music and movement group for young people with disabilities, where he rocks the banjo mandolin and is loved by all the kids who cannot wait to sit and listen to ‘Pa’. 

 

He has been a private tutor at Jetty High school, and at his own studio he teaches flute, guitar, mandolin and plays a mean tin whistle too! Mick has studied Middle Eastern and African drumming and is looking forward to enjoying the joy of a drum circle beat with the students.

 

When he’s not making music he loves to work on organic production of foods and building great garden spaces.

Sam is a multi-instrumentalist who loves to share the joy of music with others. 

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He plays bass guitar, clarinet, and saxophone, performing regularly in two live bands — the much-loved children’s entertainment group The Toads, as well as a New-Orleans-style brass band, the William Street Band.

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Sam is also trained in African Drumming facilitation.

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He is looking forward to being part of our GrooveHouse Beats class because after many years of playing, music is still simply great fun! He’s keen to share that joy with other class members and inspire young men to get involved in music!

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Sam is currently studying Primary School teaching, while leading Christian Surfers Mid North Coast. For fun, he loves surfing, fishing and of course, playing music.

My name is Judah and I’m into lettering design and Street Art. Whether it’s blocky, stretched, cracked, or 3D, I like turning simple words into something that stands out.

 

Last year, I travelled around Australia with my family, riding bikes and discovering our amazing country. Whenever I’m in a new town or city, I always spot the street art and lettering, noticing all of the different styles and details unique to that place and the artist who created it.

 

When I’m not sketching, I’m usually riding scooters, mountain bikes, or motorbikes — anything with wheels and a bit of speed.

 

I like keeping things fun and relaxed, and I love helping others to get creative and try a new art forms or technique.

Amielle has always felt at home in the creative arts, with a deep passion for drama and acting since childhood. She loves the process of stepping into a character’s inner world and bringing them to life on stage—an experience that brings her great joy and fulfilment. Now, one of her lifelong dreams is to share the wonder of storytelling and drama with others.

Having experienced the confidence and creativity that acting can unlock, Amielle is passionate about creating a safe and encouraging space where students can find their voice and grow in self-belief. Her classes are filled with fun, energy, expression, creativity and engaging games and activities that help students explore all areas of dramatic expression. 

When she’s not teaching or performing, Amielle also enjoys drawing, singing, and spending time with her beloved cats.

Lucas has been drumming for as long as he can remember. His passion for music led him to regularly travel to Byron Bay, where he played in a surf rock band and became deeply immersed in live performance and collaborative musicianship. During this time, the band had the opportunity to open for Tones and I at an intimate backyard show in Byron Bay. Leaving high school Lucas received half scholarship to AIM and a full scholarship to SCU which he turned down to make smoothies instead. These experience helped shape Lucas’s confidence, versatility, and love for playing in front of an audience.

 

As a drum teacher, Lucas brings real-world playing experience into every lesson. He focuses on strong fundamentals, timing, groove, and musical feel, while keeping lessons engaging and tailored to each student’s goals. Lucas teaches students of all ages and skill levels, creating a supportive environment where beginners can build confidence and more advanced drummers can refine their technique and musicality.

Bonnie is so excited to be joining LHCA this year to teach Music and Movement!

She has almost 10 years of experience in the musical theatre world, gaining her Diploma of Musical Theatre in 2019. From there she has taught various children’s classes in all things singing, dancing and acting.

 

With two young children of her own, Bonnie believes passionately in the value of music and movement on developing minds and bodies and can't wait to share the joy and fun of this energetic class with other young families of the Coffs Coast.

Jonah has been playing guitar since the age of six and has loved music for as long as he can remember. Along with guitar, he also plays piano, drums, and bass. While his main focus is on acoustic and finger-picking styles, Jonah enjoys exploring all kinds of music from jazz, to rock, and even to classical.

 

Music has always been a big part of his life. He’s performed in school events and church bands, and spends time writing and creating his own songs on the side. For Jonah, music isn’t just something to play, its something to enjoy and something to express yourself in. 

 

He’s passionate about helping others experience the same excitement and creativity that drew him to music in the first place. He strives to be fun, encouraging, and focused on building confidence in young guitarists while they discover just how enjoyable learning guitar can be.

When he’s not playing or teaching, Jonah loves being outdoors. Rock climbing, hiking, and soaking up time in nature.