Introducing our 2015 Master Teachers and Celebrity Judges!

We are pleased to officially introduce our lineup of renowned Master Teachers and Celebrity Judges that will be joining us on our 2015 KAR Australia Tour. This talented team of Australian and American choreographers, dance teachers, and professional dancers will surely provide you with the most extraordinary dance experience that Australia has to offer.  In addition to judging and supplying dancers with valuable feedback at the dance competition, this accomplished group will be instructing master classes in Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary/Lyrical, Hip-Hop, and “The Hollywood Experience” Music Video/Commercial Dance at our Dance Convention.

We are delighted to be featuring 4 sought after American Teachers and Choreographers at KAR National Competition and Dance Convention. Cris Judd, Brooke Lipton, Donna Shepherd, and Mario Velez will be providing your dancers with valuable insight and training on our 2015 Tour. Here are just some of the highlights featured on their impressive resumés.

Cris Judd is an acclaimed and sought after choreographer, teacher, and dancer. You may have seen him as a featured dancer in Rock of Ages starring Tom Cruise and choreographed by Mia Michaels. In the early stages of his professional dance career, he rose to prominence as a dancer on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous and History World Tours. He has performed with artists such as Celine Dion, N’Sync, Enrique Iglesias and Brian McKnight, His choreography has been featured on America’s Got Talent and music videos for artists like Usher, Julio Iglesias, and Ja Rule. Judd served as host of the reality version of Dirty Dancing and was recently selected as a judge for the TV Show New Zealand’s Got Talent. We are ecstatic to be able to offer Cris Judd’s expertise, feedback, and dance training to dancers all over Australia.

Brooke Lipton is a professional dancer and choreographer that has danced with artists such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Pink, Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, and Jewel. Brooke has danced with Brittany Spears on two world-renowned tours, Dream Within A Dream and The Onyx Hotel. She has assisted on So You Think You Can Dance and recently worked as the Assistant Choreographer on the Disney Channel movie StarStruck, starring Sterling Knight. Brooke followed up a successful first season as Assistant Choreographer for Glee, and is now the head choreographer for the Emmy Award winning television series! Brooke captivates a room with her unique style and inspires with her bold story lines, bringing a challenging yet nurturing experience to dancers, teachers, parents, and observers.

Donna Shepherd is a renowned choreographer and dance teacher from Los Angeles, California. She began her professional career at the age of 12 with the Pasadena City Ballet Theatre’s version of The Nutcracker. While attending Orange Coast College, Donna was selected as the dance captain for the National Champion Dance Team. She was featured as a dancer in a music video for the Grammy Award winning artist, Usher. She went on to find her passion in training and developing young dancers. As an award winning National Choreographer, Ms. Shepherd has trained dancers that have gone on to perform with Vanessa Hudgens, Shakira, Hillary Duff, The Black Eyed Peas, Fatima, and the television show So You Think You Can Dance.

Mario Velez is a professional dancer, Hip-Hop Choreographer, and dance teacher from Phoenix, Arizona. In his accomplished career, he has toured and performed with artists such as: Taio Cruz, Mike Posner, Omarion, TLC, Rock Steady Crew, Fergie, My Chemical Romance, Brandy, Boyz II Men, and many others. His talents as a choreographer can be seen on numerous platforms including the television show America’s’ Best Dance Crew, the National Basketball Association, and the Orpheum Theater. Mr. Velez is currently the Director at the award-winning studio Diverse Elements in Phoenix, Arizona. Mario also teaches for the KAR Dance Convention in America, and continues to find joy in watching dancers develop.

We look forward to releasing more bios and information on our Australian Teachers in the coming week. Registration is beginning to become quite limited at our KAR Dance Competition and Dance Convention so be sure to register soon and reserve your spot at this extraordinary event!