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LEANNE DRIEL   

Leanne is one of Perth’s premier tap dancers and teachers. She has been dancing since the age of 5, after being put in to dance school surely only to give her long-suffering mother a break for 2 hours on a Saturday morning... A love of dance and music developed quickly, setting Leanne on her way to relentlessly pursue her passion for tap around the globe.

Leanne has been a student of the Australian Tap Dance Festival since its inaugural year and joined the faculty in 2018. She has continued to further her tap studies in both Australia and overseas, recently returning to New York in 2019 and studying with Heather Cornell and Barbara Duffy. Leanne has completed a level 1 certificate in Tap Dance Teaching from the American Tap Dance Foundation in New York and is also currently studying for her level 2 certificate. Leanne is grateful for all the knowledge passed to her by her current and former teachers and mentors including Brenda Bufalino, Michelle Dorrance, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Roxane Butterfly, Sarah Reich, Jason Samuels-Smith and many others.

Leanne’s extensive teaching and performing experience led her to create her debut choreographed show, the tap dance pantomime ‘Sole Mates’, which premiered at Perth Fringe Festival in 2015. Leanne was also part of the ensemble cast for the award-winning ‘LUCHA ROYALE’ variety show at the 2012 Perth Fringe Festival. Leanne’s choreography has also been featured at the Fiesta Choreographers’ Ball and ROAR Choreographers’ Ball and she was the 2016 recipient of the Capezio Future of Tap award at the Australian Tap Dance Festival.

Leanne choreographed her first full-length musical ‘Tarzan’ for Stray Cats Theatre Company in Perth in 2018 and is looking forward to creating more magic in the years ahead! She is the founder of the Perth Tap Jam community and the WA Tap Dance Orchestra and regularly teaches open level tap classes, as well as a range of classes from absolute beginner through to advanced for teens through to every age of adult. Her classes are known for their fun and musical components, her swinging style and sharing some of tap’s amazing history through both steps and stories. Leanne is committed to studying and sharing the art of tap dance and inspiring dancers of all ages and barriers to embrace the joy of TAP!