Faculty
Shirena Dato’ Hamzah
Founder and Principal
BA (Honours), LIST Tap, LIST Modern, RAD TC
Shirena Hamzah, whose repertoire include Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, Lyrical and Musical Theatre, is a seasoned performer, having graced Malaysian stages and Television productions since the age of eight. By the age of 14, Shirena became a member of a local dance company called The Sayang Dancers, headed by veteran choreographer Farah Sulaiman, and began part-time work as a teaching assistant in Sayang Academy of Dancing.
Having completed her Advance levels in dance successfully by the age 16, she then proceeded to join the Philharmonic Society of Selangor and TAPP Company as a dancer, then later as a choreographer and Principal dancer in productions such as “Yesterday”, “Regards to Broadway”, and “Charity Dance Extravaganza” which was jointly staged by The Dance Society of Selangor.
She then left Malaysia to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Hawaii, where she studied dance in the Honolulu Dance Studio and Pacific Intercultural Academy of Performing Arts. There, she further strengthened her Tap, Jazz and Lyrical technique, and choreography skills in Tap and Musical Theatre. When she returned, she rejoined the Sayang Dancers for two musical productions, “Dance Hysteria” and “Broadway Babies”, after which she founded Dancesteps Studio where she began her career as a full time dance instructor.
Shirena is now dedicated to ensuring her students are given even more opportunities to perform and pursue a dance career. Apart from a number of shows in which she choreographed, performed, and sang in, including a small musical staged by Australia’s Polard Productions, “Fosse’s World” staged in the 2005 MyDance Festival, “In The Mood” staged by the Philharmonic Society of Selangor, and two productions staged by Six2Eight, a professional a capella group, Shirena has spent her time and energy producing annual recitals for Dancesteps Studio and also organizing international workshops and exchange programmes with instructors from New York City and Hawaii. She has also choreographed and coached dancers for international competitions in which her entries have picked-up top awards for excellence in dance styles and precision. She is currently studying Hula, and is in the process of setting up the first Hula Halau in Malaysia.
Shirena is currently a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She currently holds the RAD Ballet Teaching Certificate and has been awarded the Licentiate Tap and Modern certificates.
Clara Lim
AISTD
Trained by veteran choreographer Farah Sulaiman, Clara specializes in Tap instruction. Having picked up the top award for precision in tap dance at the 2002 Hawaii International Dance Festival, Clara currently holds the ISTD Associate Diploma Tap certificate and teaches Tap fulltime at Dancesteps Studio. She is also a very strong Modern dancer and has formal classical training in her dance foundation studies.
Clara has performed with the Sayang Dancers in “Dance Hysteria” and “Broadway Babies”, and also worked in several stage and television productions with the company. In 2005, she became one of the lead dancers in the Philharmonic Society of Selangor’s “In The Mood” and in Shirena Hamzah’s “Fosse’s World” staged at the MyDance Festival at the KLPAC.
Alicia Lim
ARAD, RAD TC
Alicia Lim is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. Having started teaching Ballet since 1998, she has since completed her RAD Advance 2 Ballet and Associate Diploma certification in Modern Theatre.
She is actively involved in local charity productions and danced in charity shows namely “Ballet Muda” and “Dance4Charity”. Her strength and agility in Classical ballet has given her a solid foundation in dance instruction, much to the benefit of her students.
Too Cyn Dee
LRAD, ARAD, AISTD
Cyn Dee began her dance training at the age of nine at Sri Wilayah Ballet Centre where she successfully completed her Advanced dances in Ballet and Modern by the age of 17. During those years, she performed in ‘The Nutcracker’ staged by the Universal Ballet Company from Korea together with the Hong Kong Academy of Arts Company and also competed in various TDS competitions. In 1993, she went on to London to do a three-year Teacher Training Course at the Royal Academy of Dance. There, she obtained her Licentiate Diploma (LRAD), her Associate Diploma Modern ISTD and Associate National. She also danced and choreographed for various performances, collaborating with Central St. Martin’s School of Art and Design for ‘Design for Dance’.
Upon returning to Malaysia, Cyn Dee worked in TDS’ Pulse ’97, Danceworks (1998), Danceworks 2 (2000), MyDance Festival (2001 and 2005); and was the principal dancer for ‘The Slave Princess’ organized by TDS and Dance Classique, by Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre in 1999, performing Les Sylphide, Paquita and Le Corsaire.
Chan Pui Theng
AISTD
Chan Pui Theng, or also warmly known as Miss Betty, started her dance education when she was 19. Starting at an older age has not held her back as she has persevered and now holds the Associate Diploma certificate in Modern Dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Trained by Shirena Hamzah, she also picked up tap dancing and classical ballet to widen her repertoire.
Ng Ji Lian
AISTD
Having completed her ISTD Associate Tap certification in 2008, Ng Ji Lian has specialized in teaching Tap dance since 2005. In cultivating her passion for dance, she is also studying Modern Theatre (Advanced 2) at Dancesteps Studio. She attended the New York Tap Festival in 2008 to broaden her exposure in various Tap styles from the American Tap masters.
Raja Rozmin
A former practising lawyer and natural dancer, Rozmin left the legal world after 7 years to pursue her love for dance full time. She cultivated her passion for dance at Dancesteps Studio where she is currently training at the Advanced 1 Ballet level and the Advanced 2 Modern Theatre and Associate Modern Theatre under Principal Shirena Hamzah’s guidance.
An established hip hop instructor, her vibrancy and enthusiasm is also evident in her modern and pre-primary ballet classes at Dancesteps.
Rozmin performed at the Short & Sweet Festival 2009, her first foray into the world of stage shows.
Sylvia Yong
DIP. TTC. RBS, ARAD, DIP. BENESH NOTATION
Sylvia brings 26 years of teaching experience with her to Dancesteps Studio. She started dancing at the tender age of four under the guidance of Winnie Edema and continued her ballet training at the Federal Academy of Ballet from Grade 4 onwards. She went on to London to pursue a three-year Teacher’s Training Course at The Royal Ballet School where she received her Teacher’s Diploma as well as her Diploma in Benesh Notation before retuning to Malaysia to teach at the Federal Academy of Ballet.
An accomplished performer as well, Sylvia was part of several Ramli Ibrahim stage productions including Sutrarasa and Citarasa. She has performed at both the Kuala Lumpur and Penang Arts Festivals as well. Her forte as a performer has also included performances with Marion D’Cruz in Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam.
Selina Yap
