OUR TEAM

Belinda Payne – Principal (S.F.D)

Belinda is the Principal and Director of Next Generation Dance Studio, has been teaching dance for over 15 years and dancing herself for over 25 years. Belinda has her teaching diploma through the Southern Federation of Dance and is a member of Acrobatique (acro dance syllabus).

Her passion is teaching, choreography and she takes great pride in offering many opportunities to her students such a performances, competitions, workshops and overseas opportunities.

Belinda has built Next Generation Dance Studio into a school that caters for every dancer and prides herself on providing a professional, safe, family friendly and inclusive environment.

In 2017 Belinda was invited by Kids Artistic Revue (KAR) to judge in numerous locations including the USA and Australia.

To Belinda, fostering the love of dance to all students remains the most important thing!

Poppy Donaldson

Poppy has been dancing for 18 years, training in all genres including Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Commercial and Musical Theatre. In 2011 she completed her Certificate of Dance specialising in Contemporary, Character and Ballet at Hagley Dance Company. Poppy then moved to Melbourne Australia and spent two years training full-time in all styles of dance to achieve her Diploma in Commercial Dance Performance at The Edge Performers School, learning from some of Melbourne’s elite teachers and choreographers.

Her teaching career began eleven years ago choreographing and teaching locally in her home town in New Zealand. She teaches all ages and levels, from Creative Dance through to Seniors and adults.

Poppy has performed in numerous public events including the Body Festival, Immersed Dance Industry Night, ‘Homework’ charity event at the Crown Palladium, Once upon a time Masters of Choreography, Fashion Aid and DCI Poppy is also currently a member of “Urban Beat” hip hop dance crew.

Poppy is involved in our Senior & Junior Elite Programs, our Senior classes, and is responsible for the Hip Hop and Inter/Senior Competition Troupes.

Abbey Shaw

Abbey has danced at Next Generation since 2013 and started teaching at the beginning of 2024. Next Generation has provided numerous opportunities for Abbey throughout these years, such as a competition trip to Las Vegas in 2019 and being chosen as Dance Captain. Experiences such as these helped Abbey to harness both dancing and leadership skills and develop her performance and artistry.

In 2022, Abbey graduated from Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance with both a Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) and a Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management. This provided her with the many skills, attributes and abilities to progress into the professional dance industry, as well as build her teaching profile.

Abbey attended Caulfield Grammar School where she received the Dance Scholarship in 2019. She was also awarded Dance Captain of the school in 2021.

Abbey is constantly looking for new and exciting ways to push her dancers and her own creative and choreographic abilities, and is dedicated to fostering a supportive and safe environment for all those around her.

Courtney Livock

Courtney Livock is a dynamic and accomplished artist, renowned for her creativity and unwavering dedication as both a performer and mentor. With a remarkable background in dance, Courtney has had the honour of performing alongside Katy Perry, under the expert direction of The Squared Division and Yvette Lee.


Courtney has graced the stage in numerous professional productions. Her performances have been shaped by the guidance of esteemed industry professionals, including Jason Coleman (Rhythm of Life & The Humanimals), Arna Singleton (Seeing Red), Donnie Dimase (Cheap Luxuries & Expired Dreams), and Jordan Charles Herbert’s Boss Dance Company (ALPHA & CONQUEST).

Courtney truly made her mark on the international scene by competing at the UDO Hip-Hop World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, representing Boss Dance Company.



Courtney’s journey reflects not only her artistic talent but also her commitment to inspiring the next generation of performers.

Sunny Hart

Sunny brings 14 years of teaching experience with children and adults alongside a decade of industry expertise, including international contracts as a principal vocalist with the Walt Disney Company.

Passionate about health and well-being, Sunny integrates their knowledge of vocal first aid and anatomy to offer a comprehensive, holistic learning experience.

Sunny’s teaching approach prioritises creating a warm, engaging environment where each child feels valued and supported. Sunny focuses on nurturing individual talents and ensures that every student is seen for their unique strengths and needs.

Bella Morrison

Bella has danced at Next Generation since 2011 and began teaching in 2023, under the training of Poppy Donaldson and Belinda Payne.

Next Generation provided Bella with several interstate and international dance opportunities where she extended her skills as a dancer and flourished as a performer.

Bella is a qualified Nutritionist and completed her studies at Deakin University. She emphasises a holistic and gentle approach to nutrition that supports both the dancer’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Bella enjoys sharing her knowledge in this area with her students and their parents in a safe and positive manner. Bella is a Gold Level certified teacher for Ready Set Dance and Ready Set Ballet

Bella attended Caulfield Grammar School where she was awarded the Dance Scholarship in 2018.

In 2020, Bella received a study score of 43 in VCE Dance and was an invitee of VCE Top Class for her achievements. She was also appointed as Dance Captain for the school in 2020. Bella is frequently taking the initiative to expand her skills as a dance teacher and is highly committed to the improvement and overall wellbeing of her students at Next Generation.

Tynan Wood

Tynan was born in Newcastle and trained with the New Zealand School of Dance until his graduation in December 2014.

In 2013, Tynan represented NZSD at the Assemble’e Internationale hosted by Canada National Ballet School, taking top honours at the Alana Haines Australasian Ballet Awards and appeared as a guest artist at Auckland’s Tempo Dance Festival.

Subsequently in 2014, Tynan was invited to join Sydney Dance Company for the Sydney season of "Interplay". Following his graduation from NZSD, Tynan joined Royal New Zealand Ballet for the seasons of "Don Quixote" and "Salute" in 2015.

He was further invited to perform with RNZB on their international tour of the United Kingdom and Italy. In 2016, Tynan joined Melbourne City Ballet as a Company Artist and teacher for their full-time program, then promoted to Soloist in 2017.

Tynan joined Victorian State Ballet as company artist in July 2019 and was promoted to senior artist in 2022 and principal in 2023.

Lizzy Heiss

Born in Taree, New South Wales, Elizabeth Heiss developed a passion for dance at an early age. In 2019, she moved to Sydney, enrolling in full-time training at Classical Ballet 121 under the mentorship of Gillian Revie, former First Soloist at the Royal Ballet.

In 2021 she joined the Victorian State Ballet as a Pre-Professional Artist being promotion to Emerging Artist in 2022 then corps de ballet in 2024. She is excited to continue sharing her knowledge and love for dance she has gained throughout her journey.

Kamryn Disney

Kamryn has been a dedicated student, dancing for most of her life.

9 years have been spent evolving and thriving at Next Generation Dance Studio. Where she was a part of a group of dancers who travelled to Las Vegas to compete in the KAR Nationals in 2019, and has performed in various events in Melbourne over the years.

Her hardworking nature and love for the art lead her to pursue teaching within her dance studio. Kamryn has been teaching for 2 years and has choreographed for the competition teams within her studio.

Currently, Kamryn is in her first years of Exercise and Sport Science and Swinburne University of Technology. She is aiming to pursue a career in physiotherapy in the future, where she can use her knowledge to possibly specialise in dancer injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Kamryn is committed to the development of the Next Generation and continuing to expand her teaching experience in the years to come.

Claire Kaines

Claire Kaines was born and raised in Perth and developed a passion for dance at an early age, studying a wide range of dance genres. Knowing Ballet was the career path she wanted to pursue she began studying at a intensive Ballet program whilst teaching and discovering her love for the art.

With a deep commitment to refining her skills, in 2018 she moved to New York City to attend the prestigious Joffrey Ballet School, where she was awarded a scholarship and trained instively to begin her Bachelor of Fine Arts learning from world-renound artists and faculty.

In 2022 she moved to Melbourne to became a professional dancer with the Victorian State Ballet, where she continously performs both classical and contemporary works.

Claire's passion and dedication to guiding children has inspired her to begin her journey of attaining a degree in Early childhood and primary education.

Olivia Harvey

Miss Olivia has been dancing since the age of 3.

Teaching the SFD syllabus at a number of dance studios around Melbourne, Next Generation is her home.

Miss Olivia taught for Next Generation a number of years ago, but took a break to have a little family and is so excited to be back! Miss Olivia loves teaching dance to all ages, from toddlers to adults and ballet is her passion.

During the week, Miss Olivia can be found at her regular school teaching job, specialising in providing a differentiated curriculum to students with very diverse and individual needs.

Miss Olivia will be teacher our level 1 jazz, level 1 ballet and level 2 ballet, alongside Miss Belinda who is teaching level 1 tap, level 2 tap and level 2 jazz. We are so excited to prepare our dancers for exams in 2025.

As well as this, Miss Olivia will be teaching our Primary Generation class this year.