Dance @ Masquerade

As a young dancer, she started her training in 1996 at The Alison White Dance Studio at the age of 6 where she studied BTDA Classical Ballet, Tap and Modern Jazz. In 2010 she was awarded a scholarship to further her training at Leicester School of Performing Arts in the UK, where she trained for 2 years and gained her Trinity Diploma in Dance and Musical Theatre. Whilst in the UK Valerie performed in several musical productions such as A Chorus Line and How to Succeed without Really Trying at the Peepul’s Theatre in Leicester. After graduating she moved back to Malta and started her dance teaching career. Valerie teaches Modern Jazz, Hip-hop, Ballet and tap in several schools around the island such as The Alison White Dance Studio, School Of Performing Arts by Drama Troupe, Pauleen’s Dance Studio, Johane Casabene Dance Conservatore, Centre Stage Academy in Gozo, besides Masquerade. In Malta Valerie took part in several productions such as Gensna, Eurovision song contest, St. Helena the musical, Ghanja tal poplu, Bay Music Awards, Malta Sports awards and in openng ceremony of CHOGM (2015). Valerie was a resident dancer in several TV shows such as Pjazza and Hadd Ghalik on TVM. She performed in various Cabaret productions and weekly shows in several hotels and venues around Malta such as The Corinthia Hotel, Sea Bank Hotel, The Mellieha Bay Hotel and Casino Malta. She currently also forms part of The Alison White Dancers. Besides her performing and teaching skills Valerie is also a choreographer and her work ranges from dance shows, song festivals, musicals and other corporate events.

Shanon started her dance training in Tap, Modern Jazz, Classical Ballet, Spanish and contemporary dance at the age of 4 at the Alison White Dance Studio (Malta). In 2003, she participated in the opening ceremony for the Games of the Small States of Europe and was awarded a scholarship to the Leicester College of Performing Arts at the age of 11. In Summer 2014, Shanon represented Malta and its culture in the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in Glasgow. She graduated with a Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours) from the University of Malta in 2015 where she formed part of the University dance cohort touring Malta and Spain performing choreographies by Dorian Mallia (Malta), Yoshua Cienfuegos (Spain) and Athanasia Kanellopoulou (Greece). Shanon was awarded a place on the Kibbutz Dance Journey program in Israel and performed for her Majesty the Queen during the CHOGM opening ceremony in November 2015. She is frequently given the opportunity to perform in National projects and festivals such as Notte Bianca and Science in the City, both considered as important spectacles for Malta. As a freelance dance artist, she teaches in various dance schools around the island. Shanon is currently reading for a Master in Education degree, through which she aims to broaden her understanding of how to best assist students with cultivating their creativity whilst refining their dance technique.

Colette started her dance training at Olivia Dow’s School of Russian Ballet at the age of 3 and in 2009 she attained the certificate of Soloist – the highest that can be achieved in the Legat style of classical ballet. Over the 21 years that she has been dancing she has gained experience in various different styles and is competent in classical character, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary and jazz. Colette also loves musical theatre and has been a main dancer in various musicals, including Aladdin the Pantomime (Masquerade, 2009/2010) where she was Dance Captain. She has also gained experience in choreography over the years, most notably having choreographed R&J Forever: A Mash Up Musical for Masquerade in 2012. She looks forward to another year gaining new experiences in dance and learning from the children who she teaches.

Sue started her dance training at the age of 8 and is now a freelance dance teacher and choreographer, with 18 years’ experience teaching Jazz and Hip Hop at different dance schools across the Maltese islands. She currently teaches at Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Dance, The Dance Workshop, The College of Jazz (YADA) and Masquerade. Sue has trained in Spain, Italy, England and America when she was granted a scholarship by world famous choreographer Shane Sparks, to attend classes at the infamous Millennium Dance Studios and Debbie Reynolds Dance Studios in LA. She has choreographed and performed for many TV adverts, programs and performances including Bay Music Awards, Junior Eurovision, Fashion Awards, Dance Power, Nescafe Dolce Gusto advert, Kinnie advert, X Factor and performing with YADA Dance Company. Sue also performed alongside music artists JA RULE and FLO RIDA when they performed in Malta. In 2014 Sue was the youngest board member of the big dance festival MIDCE, alongside well known and established local choreographers from different genres, where she took on the role of Hip Hop Consultant. In 2016, 2017 and 2023 Sue was invited to teach and be on the judging panel at Non Solo Danza in Sicily. Sue has a passion for musical theatre and her experience includes, chorus member in the musical FAME (2005) and in MADC’s Christmas Panto Hercules (2007). She also spent many years teaching dance at musical theatre schools as well as choreographing for many of their shows and preparing students for exams. Sue choreographed the entire hit musical Rock of Ages (2016) Alice in Wonderland (the Panto 2017) Comedy Knights (2018 and 2019) and Comedy Knights Junior (2019) Sue has done some Spanish dance examinations, a Musical Theatre exam and has obtained her Advanced 1 in Modern Theatre (ISTD). Sue is now a qualified Modern Theatre teacher (ISTD DDI) as well as a qualified Pilates Instructor (APPI).

Patsy Chetcuti is a dynamic artist, recognized for her talents as a dancer, choreographer, and artistic project coordinator. With a solid foundation in Contemporary, Ballet, and Jazz dance, she imparts her knowledge through teaching. Patsy holds a BA (HONS) Degree and a Masters Degree in dance, where her creative focus is on developing engaging choreographies that resonate with audiences, inviting them to reflect on the presented content. Her artistic journey includes training with influential choreographers and instructors like Kerry Nichols, Oded Ronen, Alleyne Dance, HumanHood, and more. Patsy has successfully brought her vision to life in contemporary dance pieces showcased at various festivals and events locally and abroad since 2015 with Moveo Dance Company, additionally, Co-founding Zugraga Dance Organisation, she has actively contributed to impactful projects. In 2021, Patsy's dedication to her craft earned her a residency with ZfinMalta, and she was recognized as one of the IETM global connectors, solidifying her place in the international dance community.

A 25-year-old full-time graphic designer with a huge passion for dance. Cheyenne has been dancing since the age of 4. She first started by practicing ballroom and then moved on to performing arts at Masquerade Malta for 8 years. Gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics were also a huge part of her life as she trained for 5 years at DeGymnastics Club. Since the age of 16 her interest focused primarily on dance, and she trained hip-hop for 3 years with Warren Bonello. For the last 6 years, Cheyenne has been training Urban dance/hip hop at DanceLab by Luke Brincat. Cheyenne has also attended several workshops from local and international dancers and got to train in various different dance styles such as Hip Hop, Commercial, Latin American, Jazz, Latin Funk, and Contemporary Fusion. “In my view, dance is a form of expression which transcends other forms of communication and through movement, one can express their true feelings which otherwise would have been left unsaid”.