Principal / Director
Astrid Chiochiu (ARAD, ATOD affiliate, Certificate IV in Dance & Teaching Management) began dancing at the age of 4. Winning multiple championships and bursaries, Astrid studied with the Queensland Dance School of Excellence at the age of 16. She also owned and operated a RAD ballet school for 6 years.
Astrid went on to represent Australia as a Professional Dancer throughout Europe, where she met her husband, Anatolie. For 11 years Astrid danced throughout Europe, Asia and the United States, and has held positions of Company Manager, Soloist, Lead Adagio Act, and Line Captain, for various International Companies. Over the past 5 years, Astrid has been training other Professional Dancers in LA and Las Vegas for Production Shows.
Astrid has been an Assistant Director, Choreographer, Talent Scout and Trainer for NYK and Crystal Cruises. After starting their family in 2005 and opening Five Star Dance Academy in 2012, Astrid is excited to teach in Australia again and pass on her international knowledge and experience to her students.
Principal / Director
Anatolie Chiochiu was born in Moldovia, an Eastern European country near Romania. Anatolie began ballet, national, and folk dancing at the age of 10. His professional career began at the age of 17 in the national, folkloric company, JOC, has 100 professional dancers and performs throughout Europe.
By the age of 20, Anatolie was the male soloist for JOC, and travelled throughout Europe performing within various companies. After meeting his wife Astrid, Anatolie started performing onboard cruise lines. There he was Male Line Captain, Soloist, and Lead Adagio Act. Once settling in Australia, Anatolie taught Ballroom and South Amercian Dancing in Brisbane for several years. Anatolie’s experience and patience make him an ideal partner of the Five Star Dance Academy team, bringing his European style to dance. Anatolie is passionate about encouraging more males to dance and heads up our Boys Zone Dance Program which combines Adagio, Ballroom, Latin and Lifting skills.
Miss Kate has been dancing since the age of 4 and teaching for over 15 years. She has a wide range of experience, having trained in all styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, acrobatics, cheer, lyrical, and musical theatre. Kate has completed her ATOD Jazz and Tap, and RAD ballet examinations to a high level. Her talents have taken her to perform for the Broncos Cheer Squad, and for the University College of London Performance Team.
Outside of dance Kate is a published author scientific literature and works as an educator for a not-for-profit foundation. Dance has always been a fundamental part of Kate’s life and at Five Star Dance Academy, she hopes to create a warm and nurturing classroom where ‘everybody’ is worthy of love and belonging.
Annika is born and bred Five Star — daughter of Miss Astrid and Mr Tollie. She is committed to maintaining the culture and ethos of the Academy, and holds a Certificate IV in Dance and Teaching Management. Annika has been part of many performances within the community, plus a valued dancer in our 2017 USA Disneyland Tour. She has consistent promotional work with Elite Talent Agency & TS Talent, connecting with people and bring joy and energy to each product they launch.
Annika is a new, vibrant, next generation Five Star teacher to encourage young dancers to feel beautiful, confident and humble in all that they do. She brings to our Academy positive and happy energy. A true connection within the community and respect towards all those that are engaged with our family business.
Alexis Cooper has been dancing since 3 years of age, learning a range of styles including jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, and acrobatics. Alexis has been with us for the long haul, having joined Five Star Dance Academy as a 6-year old student when it first opened in 2012. She has completed many Acrobatic Arts courses and workshops, including a Module 1 certification, Contortion workshop, Aerial and Back handspring workshop and is a Module 2 certified teacher with Acrobatic Arts.
Alexis has completed her Certificate II in Sport and Recreation and her Certificate III in Fitness. Her passion for all things Acrobatics, contortion and juggling has her students striving to improve every lesson. Inspiring the next generation of dancers to become strong, hardworking and kind in all areas of their lives. She is so excited to up skill during 2025 and continue to grow and nurture our students.
Tahlia Ashdown’s passion for dance began at a young age, laying a solid foundation through extensive training and examinations in ATOD, RAD, and Glenn Wood syllabi. She completed her full-time studies in 2018 with the Queensland College of Dance, earning a Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance).
After honing her teaching skills across Brisbane, Tahlia moved to Sydney to further her education under The Dream Show | Business program. There, she trained with some of the industry’s most esteemed professionals, including Marko Panzic, Katie Sanchez, Kelley Abbey, PJ Clarke, and more.
Now back in Brisbane, Tahlia brings her wealth of experience and passion for dance to Five Star Dance Academy. She is currently advancing her expertise by studying for her Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management.
With her rich background and dedication to education, Tahlia is committed to inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Miss Keiarah had been dancing since the age of 2, learning a range of styles including jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, tap, acrobatics, and musical theatre. Keiarah was a formal student of Five Star Dance for many years before finishing her dance training at Promenade Dance Studio. She has completed many exams in ballet, jazz and tap with ATOD training and RAD training. Keiarah has competed in many Eisteddfods with both Five Star and Promenade. She has also completed Certificates 1, 2 and 3 in Dance and is currently studying for her Diploma in Dance at Queensland College Of Dance. Miss Keiarah is excited to share her skills to her Five Star students.
A Design veteran of 20 years, winner of international design awards and a published illustrator, Hannah joined the Five Star family in 2013, creating our first ever End of Year program for BIG TOP. Since then, she has created many on-and-offline promotions for Five Star, as well as our popular end of year programs each year.