Meet the team behind WIDance
Artistic Director/Tutor/Board Member
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Sumara (pictured on left) is the driving force behind the magic that is WIDance. Support Crew
Tutor
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Duncan has been dancing professionally since 2015. A founding member of WIDance, as a dancer and support tutor. Duncan is also known for his stunning performance work with Touch Compass and can be seen acting on stage and in short films; including the award winning ‘Last Man on Earth’ directed by April Phillips. When not performing you might find Duncan fine tuning his skills on the drums and bass guitar.
Kate has been a part of the WIDance whānau since 2018 and began teaching our new youth community class in 2024. Drawing on her experience in caregiving, circus arts and dance, she enjoys helping people express themselves in creative and unconventional ways. When Kate isn't dancing, she's either playing board games or supporting her client living with a brain injury. 
Anna is an experienced teacher and performer and brings an incredible energy as a support tutor to our outreach workshops. In 2025 WIDance is lucky to welcome Anna as admin support behind the scenes.
Felicity officially joined the whānau in 2022 as co stage manager for our 'Platform 12' performance season. From 2022 - 2024 she contributed as our social media coordinator and website wrangler and is currently back in the mix taking care of our site once more. A performer and crew person in the Screen Sector, Felicity is also a trained Access Coordinator and is passionate about removing barriers to the arts.
Meet our Board
Daphne Pilaar
Daphne has been pivotal to the success of WIDance since day one. As a dancer, support tutor, and our WIDance Board Chairperson; Daphne is a special part of the fabric that weaves us together. Alongside WIDance, Daphne is a primary school teacher, grandmother of six, coordinator of the community theatre group Drama Christi, and performs with Crows Feet; a Wellington Women's dance collective. Deborah Pope
Deborah has worked with premier visual, circus, opera and theatre companies both locally and internationally. Craig Bennett
Laura Stuart
Appointed to the WIDance board in 2024, Laura rekindled her love of dance when she joined WIDance classes in 2016, and loves the freedom of movement and expression that comes with dancing. John Taylor
New Board Member
Exciting Patron Announcement Coming Soon
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Craig has been a board member since the WIDance trust was founded in 2010, but his involvement with WIDance goes back to the start of our Saturday morning classes; with his daughter Kezia being a foundation member in 2007. Craigs extensive background in accounting and audit comes in handy for his role as WIDance treasurer; a calm, comforting presence on our team.
Joining the WIDance Board in 2024, John has been involved in disability support services in Aotearoa for over 37 years and continues to work in a variety of roles including direct service roles, operational management, policy formation, political advocacy, governance, organisational development, training, research and consultancy.
Coming Soon...We can't wait to introduce you to our newest WIDance
Our SupportersMany individuals and organisations have contributed to the launch and continued development of WIDance.
It takes a village to raise a dance family and we couldn’t do it without your hard mahi.
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Our Funders
