Our Teachers

Bonnie Curtis is a multi-faceted artist driven by a curious imagination and a desire to discover. During her career, Bonnie has worked as an independent artist, producer, director, choreographer and performer in film, installation and live performance. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Australian performing arts company Bonnie Curtis Projects.

Her creations and collaborations have featured at international festivals such as ImPulsTanz, MuMoK (AT), Girona Film Festival (ES), Quadstock Music Festival (US), CinéWomen (EU), Lift-Off Festival (UK), NZ Fringe (NZ). In Australia, at DirtyFeet’s The Choreographic Lab, Anywhere Theatre Festival, Sydney World Film Festival, Melbourne Fringe, March Dance, and The Flying Nun by Brand X (AU).

Continuously collaborating across disciplines, Bonnie shares an exchange project between Bonnie Curtis Projects and Freeroam Theatre Company, supported by Southern Tablelands Arts and Charles Sturt University. In addition, Bonnie is part of DirtyFeet’s The Right Foot – Emerging Makers Program and recipient of CreateNSW’s Createability Internship with Merrigong Theatre Company.

Invited to participate in the ATLAS – Create Your Dance Trails Program for Choreographers at ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival, Bonnie received support from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust and Veolia Mulwaree Trust to facilitate her artistic practice. Additionally, her artistic pursuits have been fostered by various organisations such as Accessible Arts, AusdanceNSW, AMPA, Annandale Creative Arts Centre, Arts on Tour, Brand X, City of Sydney, Create NSW, Critical Path, DirtyFeet, Freeroam Theatre Company, March Dance, Merrigong Theatre Company, Regional Arts NSW, Southern Tablelands Arts, Te Auaha (NZ), among others.

Bonnie has choreographed for The Strangeways Ensemble at Merrigong Theatre Company, Excelsia College’s Undergraduate Drama program, AMPA’s Alumni Company and their Bachelor of Dance and Music program. Alongside her choreographic work at AMPA, Bonnie has lectured undergraduate students on dance technique, performance and Arts Management. Current and past teaching appointments include Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA), Campbelltown Arts Centre, Freeroam Theatre Company, Southern Tablelands Arts – Dance for Wellbeing program, Bonnie Curtis Projects Open Classes, and Te Auaha, among others.

Born and bred in Sydney, Bonnie trained at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA), graduating with a B.Dance. As an artist, Bonnie’s fascination with darker themes of life is prevalent in her work. Her creations share the emotions and experiences that have formed our modern society.

At heart, Bonnie is a rebel bun-head who discovered her love of dance theatre while living in Berlin. Bonnie’s artistic discipline fuses technical elements of dance with creative and somatic practices.

Courtney Grace Allerton is a Sydney based dancer. She started dancing from the age of 3, beginning her training with Mary Geer Academy of Dance. She went on to perform for several years at the Crowne Casino in Melbourne, and with Diane Donovan Dancers in Sydney. During her training, Courtney was chosen to participate in the Cecchetti Scholars program, a training program for exceptional young dancers. Courtney went onto study a Bachelor of Dance at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA) in Sydney.

During her studies, Courtney has trained with Darren Disney, Anca Frankenhaeuser, Alyssia Jarvis, Maya Gavish, Sam Parkes, Charlotte Dand, Tiana Canterbury, and other leading industry professionals.

Courtney is interested in exploring the partnership between visual arts and dance. She is fascinated by aesthetic imagery and uses this to create surreal and interactive environments in dance performance. During her choreographic studies, Courtney has created work drawing on her transformative life experiences and is intrigued by dark subject matter. As a dance maker, Courtney likes to work collaboratively with other dancers and is fascinated by their interpretation of her choreography.

In 2020, Courtney joined Bonnie Curtis Projects to complete a secondment as part of AMPA’s B. Dance Program.

Reina Takeuchi is an Australian-Japanese artist-researcher working across visual arts, choreography, curatorial projects and writing.

Takeuchi’s physical practice is informed by ballet, contemporary dance and Asian performance traditions from Japan, India and Thailand – places where she has lived and trained.

She graduated with Distinction from a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), majoring in Visual/Studio Arts and Dance (2018).

In 2019, Takeuchi commenced Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year 2019 for her Masters research in Creative Practice at QUT.

Takeuchi received the Dorothy Birt Memorial Prize from the university for her research.

In 2021, she commenced her PhD candidature through QUT, focussing on Asia-Pacific performance art processes.

She has collaborated with numerous Australian and international artists.

Takeuchi has performed in Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, Brisbane’s Supercell Contemporary Dance Festival and Sydney Dance Company’s PPY19 REVEALED.

Takeuchi also worked as an understudy with The Farm Dance Co. on ‘The Ninth Wave’ part of the Commonwealth Games. She has written for publications AusDance Qld, Delving into Dance and 4A Papers.

In addition to Bonnie Curtis Projects, Takeuchi works as Curatorial Program Producer at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and has a choreographic mentorship through FORM Dance Projects with Australian artists, choreographer Meryl Tankard, composer Elena Kats-Chernin and visual artist Régis Lansac.

Reina first joined Bonnie Curtis Projects to perform in Wonderland in 2020.