Rehearsal & Teaching Staff

Charmene Yap

Rehearsal Associate

Charmene Yap is a multi-award winning dancer, rehearsal director and choreographer. She is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Purchase College New York, and in her early career, was a recipient of an Australian Council Skills and Development Grant and nominee of the prestigious Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative Award.

Prior to her decade of performing for Sydney Dance Company, Charmene danced for companies Chunky Move, Tasdance, Dancenorth, Lucy Guerin Inc., Armitage Gone! Dance Company and worked with numerous choreographers including Tanja Liedtke, Antony Hamilton and Sue Healey. She has featured in films including Think Of Yourself As Plural by David Rosetzky, Del Kathryn Barton’s Red, and Katie Noonan’s music clip Quicksand.

Charmene joined Sydney Dance Company as a Company Dancer in 2010, performing the majority of works by artistic director Rafael Bonachela, and other Australian and international choreographers including William Forsythe, Alexander Ekman, Stephanie Lake, Emmanual Gat, Jacopo Godani, Melanie Lane, Gabrielle Nankivell, Andonis Foniadakis and Prue Lang amongst others. Her dancing and performances earned her critical acclaim with numerous nominations and awards including:

Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in 2012 and Australian Dance Award in 2013 for her role in 2 One Another; Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in 2014 for 2 in D Minor; and the Helpmann Award nomination in 2019 for Cinco.

Charmene choreographed for Sydney Dance Company’s first New Breed season in 2014. Her work Do We, was also performed in Perth by Co3 Company. More recently, as Assistant Choreographer, she worked with Gideon Obarzanek in creating Us 50 which celebrated Sydney Dance Company’s 50^thAnniversary. 

In September 2019, Charmene commenced her new role as Sydney Dance Company’s inaugural Rehearsal Associate, supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Dancers’ Circle and the Nelson Meers Foundation. In this role, she works with both the artistic and education departments; with Company dancers, PPY dancers and on other professional development programs. Charmene also continues to perform and develop her interest in choreography.

Linda Gamblin

Head of Training

Head of Training Linda Gamblin (nee Ridgway) trained with the Royal Ballet School in London and went on to perform principal roles in ballets such as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardee, and Beauty and the Beast whilst working with The Australian Ballet, Royal Ballet London, National Ballet of Portugal and Sydney Dance Company.

Linda has worked with contemporary choreographers such as Michael Clarke, Meryl Tankard and Graeme Murphy and has performed works by Jiri Kylian, Maurice Bejart and Jerome Robbins. Her career has seen her travel extensively throughout the world with highly successful tours to Europe, UK, Asia, USSR and the United States.

In 1989 Linda represented Australia competing in the VI International Ballet Competition at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, winning the Moscow Music Magazine Award for popular dancer. Linda was also the recipient of Australia’s Young Achievers Award, Arts Category for her dancing (1989).

As well as an extensive professional career as a dancer, Linda is a passionate dance educator. Studying and teaching Pilates mid-career, she developed a keen interest in the body. She attained her Level 3 Diploma in Anatomy and Physiology whilst teaching Pilates in the UK, and has since further developed her knowledge with courses and workshops on the muscular and skeletal systems and biomechanics. This knowledge has become an integral part of her teaching practice.

Linda holds the qualifications Advanced Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance) (CUA60113), Diploma of Dance Teaching and Management (CUA50313), Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40110), First Aid Certificate and Mental Health First Aid Certificate.

Tobiah Booth-Remmers

Course Coordinator Pre-Professional Year

Tobiah Booth-Remmers is a freelance dance producer, creator, performer, teacher and facilitator from Adelaide, Australia. Since graduating from the Adelaide College of the Arts’ Bachelor of Dance Performance course in 2009 Tobiah has worked with a wide range of Australian and international artists, companies and studios.    

Most notably he has worked with Branch Nebula, Brink Productions, Larissa McGowan, Lina Limosani, Gabrielle Nankivell, Garry Stewart, Paul Gazzola and Paulo Castro among many others. Tobiah has performed in major arts festivals including the Adelaide Fringe Festival (Aus), Adelaide Festival of the Arts (Aus), Brisbane Festival (Aus), WOMAD (Aus), Dance Massive (Aus), Dublin Dance Festival (Ire) and has performed at the Barbican Centre, London.  

Along with his performance work Tobiah is also a prolific creator and teacher. His work extends from large scale curated warehouse dance festivals through to solo movement, text and imagery pieces, and often centres around humanity and how we interact with ourselves and each other.  

He has choreographed many short works for a variety of commissions and programs as well as three full length works with his Adelaide based performance collective; ‘The Human Arts Movement’. Tobiah has created short works and lectured in dance at ‘Adelaide College of the Arts’, ‘LINK Dance Company’, ‘Queensland University of Technology’, ‘Transit Dance’ and ‘Sydney Dance Company Pre-Professional Year’. 

Tobiah also maintains a strong international presence as a dance practitioner and pedagogue. He regularly returns to Europe for residencies, performances and teaching after previously living in Brussels for two years. His performance work has been developed and presented in Bulgaria, Brussels, Sweden and Greece. Tobiah has taught workshops on his own creative and movement practice in Belgium, Israel, France, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Greece and Bulgaria. 

In 2022 Tobiah was the Associate Artist at Australian Dance Theatre. As part of this program the company supported him with a year long residency and resources to produce a new full length experimental work.  

As a regular guest teacher and choreographer with Pre-Professional Year since 2015, Tobiah joined Sydney Dance Company as PPY Course Coordinator in April 2023.  

Juliette Barton

Training Associate

Juliette Barton is an industry specialist in contemporary dance and related physical practices. With a performance career spanning over 20 years, she has worked with an extensive array of choreographers including Rafael Bonachela, Alexander Ekman, Jacopo Godani,  Emanuel Gat, Russell Maliphant, Andonis Foniadakis, Gideon Obarzanek, Gabrielle Nankivell, Adam Linder and Keneth Kvanstrom.  

Throughout her career, Juliette has performed to critical acclaim across Australia and the globe including in New York, London, Germany, France, Russia, China, Korea, Columbia, Brazil, and Chile. As a choreographer, Juliette has created solo works for Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed 2014 season, and the Art Gallery NSW Archie Plus program in 2020. As a contemporary dance teacher and coach, Juliette has taught extensively across Australia to professional companies including Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move and Bangarra Dance Theatre as well as high calibre training institutions including WAAPA, VCA, Transit Dance, National College of Dance, and across all of Sydney Dance Company’s pre-professional training programs including the Pre-Professional Year (PPY), Professional Intensives, Youth Ensemble and Sydney Dance Company’s public dance program.  

Most recently Juliette acted in the role of Rehearsal Associate (parental cover) at Sydney Dance Company during the Company’s rehearsal and performance of Ohad Naharin’s Decadance. She is currently in the role of Training Associate, supported by Tim Fairfax AC, responsible for facilitating and overseeing the training of the Pre-Professional Year dancers.  

Juliette holds a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. 

Alexandria Panetta

Learning Associate

Alexandria Panetta (Lexy) is a Sydney-based artist, choreographer and academic with a strong interest in dance performance, improvisation, writing and film. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts, BA Dance and BA Education, BA Arts and Social Sciences, Honours in Dance Studies at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

In 2022, Lexy received a competitive research scholarship to complete a Master of Philosophy (MPhil in Creative Practice) at UNSW. Her thesis ‘Enacting (Re)Actions: Affect Theory and Embodied Resonance in Improvisational Contemporary Dance and Compositional Pedagogy’ contributes to the educational sphere in NSW and Australia and analyses the core of improvisation; supporting the creative value and potential of choreographic development through improvisational skills.   

Lexy works as a passionate academic in both dance and education faculties at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) and continues her aspirations as a dance researcher, incorporating theory, philosophy and practice in her written work. Lexy has been a long-standing tutor and collaborator for The Arts Unit (Department of Education) working in their programs and ensembles. 

As the Learning Associate for the Sydney Dance Company, Lexy offers her insights and perspective in educational approaches to dance and creativity. She is passionate about the alignment and application of valued industry skillsets to training and education. Lexy creates and delivers academic resources and content to the Pre-Professional Year.   

General Practitioner

Dr. Michael Berger

Dr Michael Berger has been in private general practice for over thirty years and in association with Sydney Dance Company for more than ten of those. He trained at UNSW and then Prince of Wales/Prince Henry. His medical practice covers the whole gamut of family medicine and he takes immense satisfaction in the long-term intergenerational care of the families he treats. In his extensive career as a medical practitioner Dr Berger has been both deeply rewarded and at times challenged by the uncertainty inherent in general practice, however he feels it is in these moments that the strength and trust built through long-term therapeutic relationships really comes to the fore.  

He thoroughly enjoys the family–like connection he shares with both the administrative staff and the dancers of Sydney Dance Company and he looks forward to maintaining this connection for many years to come.   

Exercise Physiologist

Annie Jeffries

Annie Jeffries is an exercise physiologist with extensive experience in injury rehabilitation. She previously worked at North Sydney Sports Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Centre and Northern Sports Physiotherapy Clinic working with many elite dancers and athletes. Annie is currently completing her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney where she is investigating injury, illness and training load in dancers. She also holds a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology and is an accredited exercise physiologist with ESSA. She has presented her research at international dance science and medicine conferences and previously published research on the training demands in elite contemporary dancers. Annie was previously a professional classical ballet dancer and trained at the English National Ballet. She is currently the exercise physiology consultant for the Sydney Dance Company and is also a member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre Safe Dance Panel.

Company Psychologist

Dr. Sallie Grey

Sallie is a registered Clinical Psychologist and accredited mediator with more than 15 years’ experience across multiple settings including, private practice, community mental health, hospitals, organisations and corporations. She applies evidence-based treatments including, Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness–based therapy as well as the science and practise of Positive Psychology.

Sallie has a particular interest in corporate wellbeing and the science of optimal human functioning. She helps individuals unlock their potential by bringing in self- compassion, deep personalisation and a growth mindset to be their best selves. Sallie’s approach is underpinned by her ability to draw from psychological systems, contemporary management, adult development, neuroscience, and learning theories and models.  

In addition to her clinical work, Sallie delivers group supervision to psychologists and coaches, and training to allied health professionals. She is also a founding member of the Australia Clinical Psychology Association, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, The Resolution Institute and alumni of Adaptive Leadership Australia. Sallie has a Doctor’s degree in Clinical Psychology, a Master of Science, a Graduate Diploma in Science, and a Bachelor of Arts.