Artistic Director

Tony (Yue) Shi

Tony (Yue) Shi is the Founder and Director of Yue Dance Academy, and a highly respected ballet and contemporary dance educator based in Brisbane. Over the past seven years, he has trained exceptional dancers across competitive, pre-professional, and adult levels, collaborating with numerous full-time and part-time dance programs across the city. Many of his students have gone on to study and perform with prestigious institutions and companies worldwide.

Tony’s teaching is rooted in internationally recognised standards, combining technical precision, artistry, and a deep understanding of safe, sustainable training. His approach blends the discipline of classical ballet with the expressiveness of contemporary dance, fostering creativity, confidence, and resilience in every student.

He began his full-time training at the Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11, studying for seven years in the Vaganova method. He then earned a full scholarship to the New Zealand School of Dance through the Asian Grand Prix competition in Hong Kong, graduating with a Diploma in Dance. His professional career includes performing with Royal New Zealand Ballet under Ethan Stiefel, Singapore Ballet led by Janek Schergen, and Queensland Ballet under Li Cunxin. Tony has worked with renowned choreographers such as Liam Scarlett, Kinsun Chan, Edwaard Liang, and Nils Christe, gaining extensive experience in both classical and contemporary repertoires.

In addition to performing, Tony has contributed to the Advanced Ballet Syllabus for the Australian Teachers of Dancing and is a registered Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) teacher. He is currently completing the Professional Dancers’ Graduate Teaching Diploma (PDGTD) with the Royal Academy of Dance, graduating in October 2025.

At Yue Dance Academy, Tony’s vision is to create a supportive and inspiring environment where every dancer — from beginner to aspiring professional — can achieve their personal best while developing a lifelong love of dance. Because every step is a journey, and every journey deserves to be nurtured.

Our Teachers

Mana Ogawa

Ballet | Contemporary | Jazz | Pilates Instructor

Mana Ogawa is a highly accomplished and multi-talented dance educator and movement specialist, with professional training in both classical ballet and contemporary dance at the New Zealand School of Dance and Sydney Dance Company before dancing professionally as an independent artist.

Her extensive performance and teaching background spans ballet, contemporary, jazz and Pilates, making her a sought-after instructor known for her versatility, precision and warm teaching style.

Mana is a qualified Pilates practitioner and is one of the few certified Pilates Educators in Queensland with Pilates ITC (Pilates International Training Centre) — a testament to her dedication to quality movement education. Her Pilates expertise plays a key role in supporting dancers' strength, technique, and injury prevention, offering a thoughtful and holistic approach to training.

In addition to her dance and Pilates credentials, Mana also brings professional screen experience to her teaching, having appeared as a semi-regular character ‘Lily’ in seasons 2 and 3 of the hit TV series Dance Academy.

Mana teaches across all levels and age groups, combining her technical expertise with a nurturing and empowering presence. She is deeply committed to helping every student move with purpose, artistry, and confidence — whether they are dancing for joy or training for the stage.

Neneka Yoshida

Ballet | Pointe

Neneka Yoshida was born in Kanazawa, Japan, and began her ballet training at the age of 3. At 15, she moved to Paris to study under the esteemed Dominique Khalfouni. She later trained in Madrid for a year with Victor Ullate before returning to Paris, where she studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) under Claude de Vulpian, Clairemarie Osta, and Isabelle Ciaravola, graduating with a diploma in 2013.

A finalist at the 2013 Prix de Lausanne, Neneka was offered a position with Queensland Ballet in 2014 by Artistic Director Li Cunxin AO. She was promoted to Principal Artist in 2021, recognized for her exceptional technique, artistry, and stage presence.

Lili Moir

Ballet | Contemporary | Lyrical | Hip Hop

Lili is a dedicated professional dancer and instructor with over 7 years of performance experience and 4 years of teaching in styles including jazz, Broadway jazz, lyrical, and hip hop.

After completing her pre-professional full-time training at Launch Performing Arts Centre, Lili has continued to perform professionally and is currently appearing at The Pink Flamingo on the Gold Coast.

As a teacher, Lili is known for her emphasis on strong technique, musicality, and individual expression, creating a positive and challenging environment for dancers of all levels. She is passionate about helping students grow both technically and artistically, and is committed to nurturing confident, expressive performers.

Brendan Hodder

Jazz | Contemporary

Brendan Hodder is a distinguished figure in the performing arts industry, renowned as a professional dance practitioner, educator, award-winning choreographer, and creative director with a fifteen-year global career.

Brendan began his journey at Queensland University of Technology studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts Dance and concentrated on honing his versatile skills through external collaborations with other prolific Australian-based choreographers outside of his university training.

In 2006, Brendan embarked on a global career performing for Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, and Universal Studios dancing world-tour contracts touring Europe, the USA, Canada, China, Japan, South America, and the Caribbean. He immersed himself in Latin dance influences from 2011 to 2013, performing and choreographing in Mexico and South America.

Highlights of Brendan’s career include starring as a male soloist in world tour seasons of “Magic To Do”, directed and produced by Steven Schwartz and “Encore”, directed by Danny Teeson. Alongside performing, Brendan also served as Cast Manager and was responsible for overseeing rehearsals and show installs during the world-tour seasons. Brendan is an acclaimed choreographer and creative director, recognized for his innovative stage works and music videos throughout Europe.

Since his return to Australia in 2020, Brendan has been engaged in numerous roles within the Australian professional performance industry and the private tertiary sector, including heading a Bachelor of Stage Performance program at a tertiary training organisation where he spearheaded efforts to rewrite and revamp the curriculum and facilitated connections between students and global industry practitioners - bridging the gap between education and professional performance.

Brendan is dedicated to enhancing professional dance opportunities in Australia, fostering collaboration, and nurturing the next generation of performers. His journey has taken him worldwide and back home to Australia where he continues to create professional stage works and to educate, connect and inspire Australia’s emerging artists for the future of dance performance and education.

Lilian Wright

Jazz | Ballet | Contemporary (Ages 6+)

Lillian is a passionate and versatile dancer and teacher who inspires students to reach their full potential while nurturing their unique talents. She has a strong foundation in classical ballet, and a love for contemporary, lyrical and commercial styles of dance. Lillian holds her Advanced Diploma in Professional Dance (Elite Performance), and has trained extensively with Royal Academy of Dance, having completed her Advanced 2 exam in 2022. Since 2023, Lillian has worked closely with Australian National Living Treasure, Graeme Murphy, performing his works around Brisbane, and looks forward to dancing with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as part of their 'Obscura 3' concert later this year. She was also a featured dancer in Roby Santini's 'Italiani Nel Mondo' tour, is a current company member with Merge Dance Theatre, and has just performed with Solstice Dance Collective in their recent premiere of ‘Exocytosis’.

Emma Ortez

Pre Pointe | Pointe | Adult Variation & Technique

Emma Ortez, former professional dancer with the English National Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet companies, is an internationally recognised teacher and coach.

Emma began her teaching career in Hong Kong at the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. She also taught and coached in the ballet stream at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. Alongside teaching, Emma gained extensive choreographic experience, creating works for major cultural events, including five consecutive years for the Cathay Pacific International Night Parade, as well as for the Hong Kong Star Awards ballet competition and other gala performances.

Since returning to Australia, Emma has worked as a freelance teacher and guest coach across the country and abroad, specialising in advanced and full-time training, offering expertise in open classical technique, pointe, variations and repertoire, floor barre, stretching and body conditioning, as well as specialised boys’ coaching.

She is also a registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance, having entered students for exams from Pre-Primary through to Solo Seal.

Emma is passionate about nurturing dancers at all stages of their journey. Many of her students have achieved outstanding success, earning scholarships through the Youth America Grand Prix, winning prizes at major international competitions such as the Prix de Lausanne and Varna, and gaining places—often on scholarship—at some of the world’s leading schools, including the Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School, Princess Grace Academy, School of American Ballet, and Australian Ballet School, amongst others.

Emma loves sharing her passion for ballet and inspiring the next generation, many of whom are now dancing with world-renowned companies including the Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and American Ballet Theatre.