Our Team
Louise Baker
Louise Baker completed a Diploma in Commercial dance at the Wellington Performing Arts Centre (now Whitireia) in 2010 receiving the first year scholarship for the most promising student.
Louise became interested in hip hop dance when she was accepted into Wellington's Infinite Dance Crew and went on to travel internationally with them, receiving 4th Place in the FISAF world championships. After a busy few years in Wellington teaching for Pump dance and Step out Dance Co Louise moved to Melbourne where auditioned successfully for a dance contract which took her to the Dominican Republic.
Louise returned home to teach for 8 months before setting off for London to travel, dance and teach. During her 2 years there she taught at Spencer Stage School in Notting Hill, became a London Cheerleader and continued to take classes at the famous Pineapple Dance and Studio 68. In 2014 Louise attended Urban Dance Camp in Germany where she was able to learn from some of the best jazz, contemporary and hip hop tutors in the world.
Louise returned to NZ and completed her Royal Academy of Dance Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS) while teaching at the Maureen Ax School of Dance. Louise has been a judge/tutor and guest taught at various summer schools, workshops and competitions over the past 7 years as well as teaching ballet, jazz and contemporary casually for DanceWorks studios in Palmerston North. In 2022, Louise moved, with her family, back to her hometown of Pahiatua and restarted Tararua School of Dance. Louise is now a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).
Alaina Sims
Since 2004, Alaina has danced, choreographed, and coached dance, cheer, and tumbling in the United States and New Zealand. Alaina began teaching dance and coaching gym while in university, and she fell in love with working with young dancers. In 2007, she graduated from Henderson State University with degrees in English and Dance and took the position as high school dance department director and choreographer at Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts. She served as a board member and dancer for Arkansas Dance Coalition and was a dancer/choreographer at the Snowy Range Dance Festival at the University of Wyoming.
In 2010, Alaina moved to Los Angeles, California, and while in LA, she regularly performed with LA Unbound and Amaterasu Contemporary Dance Company and professionally choreographed for Pasadena and MixMatch Dance Festivals. Alaina continued to coach advanced level cheer and tumbling for multiple schools in the Los Angeles School District. Her 2013 JV squad placed 1st at USA Nationals, and her Varsity squads placed 3rd at USA Nationals and 4th at the UCA West Coast Championships.
Alaina returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2013 with hopes of starting a family, and from 2014-2016, she worked as Artistic Coordination Director of Pineapple Tree Contemporary Ballet Company. Alaina choreographed and performed for the professional company and organised community outreach programs for Pineapple Tree’s non-profit apprentice company. From 2014-2016, Alaina also worked as dance director at Arkansas Arts Academy where she directed bi-annual concerts, taught classes, and choreographed for the high school dance program as well as serving as guest choreographer for the NWA show choir. Her musical theatre choreography credits include Oklahoma, Peter Pan, Grease, and Scrooge.
In 2016, Alaina moved her family to New Zealand and has since judged, taught workshops, and worked with the dancers at Danceworks Studios in Palmerston North. Alaina teaches multiple genres including acro, ballet, contemporary, and lyrical and has successfully put students of all ages through RAD ballet and APDA contemporary examinations. Drawing from her tumbling and dance background, Alaina has written a highly-effective Acro syllabus that safely takes dancers from beginning to advanced tumbling and dance skills. She began teaching with Louise at Tararua School of Dance in 2022, and has absolutely loved watching her TSOD acro students learn new things and gain confidence in themselves.