about us

As a boutique dance school in Adelaide, we trust in our student’s potential.

We offer small class sizes to ensure that each student receives personalised attention and instruction, and we believe in building strong relationships between students, teachers, and families. At The Dance Pad Studio, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where our students can explore their creativity, develop their technical skills, and build meaningful connections with their peers and teachers

We offer a wide range of dance classes, including Samba, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary, and more, for students aged 3 to adult. Our studio is proud to have two locations to better serve our community. Both locations have ample free parking, making it easy for families to attend classes without worrying about parking fees.

Over the years, our studio has been recognized for our commitment to excellence in education and performance. Our students have performed at prestigious venues including Gluttony during the Adelaide FRINGE Festival.

Who We Are

Our Mission

At The Dance Pad our mission is to transform lives through the power of dance by providing exceptional education and training to kids, adults, and performers of all levels, including those seeking recreational classes. We believe that dance has the ability to inspire, challenge, and empower individuals, and we are committed to helping our students discover the transformative impact that dance can have on their lives. Our experienced and passionate instructors foster a love of movement, creativity, and self-expression in every student, while also imparting a strong foundation in technique, artistry, and performance. We are proud to offer a welcoming and inclusive learning environment that encourages our students to explore their full potential as dancers and as individuals, and to leave our school with the confidence, discipline, and life skills to pursue their dreams both on and off the dance floor.

Our Vision

Our vision is to be the premier dance institution in our community, recognized for excellence in education, performance, and community outreach. We strive to inspire and empower our students to become confident, skilled, and passionate dancers, and to make a positive impact on the world through the art of dance.

Our Values

Creativity

We encourage our students to explore their unique artistic voice and to express themselves through dance in a variety of styles and genres

Respect

We promote a culture of mutual respect and inclusivity in our studio, and expect our students to treat their peers and teachers with kindness and consideration.

Discipline

We instill a strong work ethic in our students, and expect them to approach their training with focus, determination, and a willingness to learn

Community

We prioritize building a supportive and collaborative community within our studio, and encourage our students to work together and support one another as they grow and develop as dancers.

Excellence

We strive for excellence in all aspects of our studio, from the quality of our teaching to the level of performance and professionalism that we expect from our students.

Meet our dynamic duo of dance

Emma & Piter

Together for over a decade, Emma Dawson and Piter Pantoja Lopez are the owners of The Dance Pad and TDP Productions. From Adelaide to the world, they’ve conquered the dance scene with their unmatched talent, expertise, and passion. They’ve created sold-out productions and captivating performances, collaborated with top artists and shared the stage with legends. Together they have built a dance family that thrives on passion and professionalism.

Emma Dawson

She’s trained in contemporary dance at the Centre of Performing Arts in Adelaide, in Latin Dance with Eddie Torres the ‘Salsa King’ in New York, in Rumba and Cuban Folkloric in Havana and in Samba in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Emma is well known for her extensive knowledge in ballet, contemporary, salsa, samba, hip hop, jazz, cheerleading, showgirls and cabaret.

Her impressive technical skill, combined with her deeply-rooted creative instinct makes her one of Adelaide’s most accomplished teachers, performers and choreographers.

Through her passion and professionalism, Emma has created far more than a dance school at The Dance Pad. She’s created a family.

Career Highlights
  • Managed and choreographed sold out live productions ‘Cuban Flow’, ‘La Fiesta’, ‘Feel the Rhythm’, ‘Tropical Heat’, ‘Magic Cuba’ at the Adelaide FRINGE – nine years running.
  • Managed and choreographed sold out live production, ‘Cabaret Allsorts’ at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
  • Performed with artists such as David Campbell, Paulini Curuenavuli and Sean Paul.
  • Worked as a choreographer/ teacher for both the Television Ballet Company & Havana Queens in Havana, Cuba.
  • Performed alongside artists such as Dave Scott ‘You Got Served’, Lil C ‘Krump pioneer’ and Rhapsody James (Dreamgirls) in Los Angeles USA.
  • Toured Shanghai and Beijing with the ‘Fabulous Follies’ showgirls, and Taiwan with the National Dance Institute of Taipei.

Piter Pantoja Lopez

Born, raised and trained in Havana, Cuba, Piter grew up with music in his heart and dancing in his blood.

A professional dancer and teacher in all Cuban styles and street hip hop, Piter is an outstanding performer, having danced for some of Cuba’s biggest internationally recognized stage shows.

While his rich career has seen him teaching and performing across Cuba and Europe, now, Piter brings his energy and unique street style to the Adelaide Stage.

Passionate about teaching the authentic street style of Cuban Dance, Piter’s influence reaches far beyond the studio walls, and spills out into Adelaide’s ever-evolving salsa scene.

Career Highlights
  • Dancer with Pinos Nuevos Company
  • Dancer with Eduardo Veitia Company
  • Mundial Del Yoruba Festival – Havana, Cuba
  • Toured with Folklore Dance Festival – Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany
  • ‘Kings of Salsa’ International Tour
  • ‘Lady Salsa’ International Tour 2009
  • ‘Cuban Flow’ Adelaide FRINGE 2016, Cabaret FRINGE 2016

meet our experienced

TDP Team

Our experienced faculty is comprised of industry professionals and certified dance educators who are passionate about nurturing the talents of our students.

Coral

  • Age 10-Adult

  • Jazz

  • Hip Hop

  • Samba Fundamentals

Diana

  • Age 7-Adult

  • Tap

April

  • Oriental

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