WA Performing
Arts Collective
The WA Performing Arts Collective (WAPAC) was established after the success of the original ballet “A Tree We Grew” (2023), which involved former WA Ballet principal dancers, WAAPA dance students, musicians, and support from several arts organizations. The production received critical acclaim, a 2024 APRA AMCOS AMC Award nomination, sold-out shows through 2025, long-standing ovation with the audience feedback as “utterly beautiful, profoundly moving and meaningful” and an invitation for a regional tour in 2026–27. WAPAC is a partnership group that wants to provide the WA performing arts community with opportunities for creative expression, employment, shared experiences, and boost both its economic and cultural value while fostering professional growth and new partnerships.
Past Productions
A Tree We Grew
An original ballet nominated for the 2024 APRA ALMOS AMC Award in the Best Work in Drama category.
Set in Australia during World War II, the ballet uses an original symphonic score, folk and choir music, sound art and multimedia to tell a story of love between two people who were separated and reunited after the war. In their final embrace they form a shape of a tree as a symbol of a prevailing power of life and love.
The premier of the ballet received a long -standing ovation by a 350-member audience with feedback as “utterly beautiful, profoundly moving and meaningful.” The cast includes the former principal dancers of West Australian Ballet Claire Voss and Christian Luck, as well as other dancers from world-famous companies and different WA dance schools. The ballet has been choreographed by Ivan Tarakanov, who worked with famous world companies around the world.
The concert will also consist of a variety of local performers as a beautiful showcase of the arts and life.
Creative Team
& Cast
Creatives
Ivan
Tarakanov
Director & Choreographer and Principal Dancer
Valery
Niazov
Executive Producer & Composer
John
Beaton
Assistant Producer & Media contact
Alister
Walters
Marketing Director
Tania
Shillington
Stage Manager
Mark
Whitehouse
Audio & Video Engineer
Robyn
Cooper
Administration & Accounts Manager
Cast
Claire
Voss
Principal Dancer
Christian
Luck
Principal Dancer
Sarah
Hepburn
Assistant Choreographer & Dancer
Daniel Drieberg
Violinist
Founding Members
Valery, Mark, Robyn and Mykola, together formed the WA Performing Arts Collective to promote WA Performing Arts.
Valery
Niazov
Executive Producer & Composer
Mark
Whitehouse
Audio & Video Engineer
Robyn
Cooper
Administration & Accounts Manager
Creatives
Ivan Tarakanov
Winner of the First Prize of Italian Ballet competition in Rieti, Italy. Special Grand Prix (Best male dancer of the competition) Ivan Tarakanov has worked around the world with the world famous choreographers and ballet companies as a principal dancer and performed as a guest star at Quarry Amphitheatre on the invitation from Perth City Ballet. His international touring including Australia, Japan, USA (including at the Kennedy Centre), Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Japan, Italy, and Israel etc. to sold-out shows.
Valery Niazov
Born in Uzbekistan where he graduated with a master’s degree from the Tashkent State Conservatorium of Music, Valery worked as a lecturer and music teacher, composer, conductor, and a full-time producer and writer of Classical Music and the Arts programs at the State Television Company.
After immigrating to Australia in 1990, Valery taught music and composed music in a range of genres for television, international arts festivals, theatre, charity projects and multimedia productions.
“A Tree We Grew” is the second ballet composed by Valery. His first ballet, “Rain of Life,” successfully premiered at the Banbury Arts Festival. However, Valery’s passion is working with communities for which he was nominated for WA Premier Multicultural Community Award and received the WA Governor’s Award.
John Beaton
John Beaton worked for the ABC and was one of three directors of West Coast Pictures – a film production company. Director of International filmmakers’ conference WA. In 2003, John Beaton received the top gong for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO WA SCREEN INDUSTRY, at the 16th WA Screen Awards. He was CEO of what is now Screenwest and a lecturer in Film and Television in Film and TV screenwriting at Curtin University. One of three Trustees of the Mundaring Arts Centre, WA representative on the National Constitution Review Committee, and long-term member of the Australian Writers Guild and he also was a Councillor and a President of the Shire of Mundaring and a Chair of the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council.
Alister Walters
A classical folk dancer for over 20 years and agile creative industry professional, Alister brings over two decades of experience in design, marketing and performing arts to WAPAC. Consulting to the Marketing Committee of PolArt 2015 Melbourne, Alister helped engage over a million Australians in promoting the city-wide festival and Polish Arts to Victoria. Previously serving on the board of Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Victoria (GSOV), Alister developed their marketing for Seasons 2016 – 2019, while also finding his baritone voice in operettas ‘The Gondoliers’, ‘The G&S Spectacular Concert’, ‘Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘Victor Herbert’s Eileen’.
Relocating to sunny Perth in 2019, Alister continues to work as lead designer at a marketing agency as well as within the performing arts industry, joining Gilbert & Sullivan Western Australia as Marketing Consultant from Season 2021, and continues to help develop audience growth.
Alister also continues to perform with Kukułeczka Polish Dance Ensemble and Roztiazhka Ukrainian Cossack.
Tania Shillington
Tania Shillington is the owner and Director of Classical Ballet School managing 11 ballet teachers and approximately 400 students learning classical ballet, contemporary, character, modern, lyrical, Pilates and body conditioning. In addition to her leadership at Dance Classique, Tania has been actively involved with the WA Classical Ballet Teachers Association, Ausdance and now the WA Performing Arts Collective as Stage Manager. Notably, she also toured her ballet school to York, performing at York Town Hall in 2021 and 2022 and organised dance concerts at many theatres in Perth including the Regal Theatre and Perth Concert Hall. She worked as Tour Coordinator for performances in England, Denmark, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. She also coordinated a group of dancers attending a Summer School in Varna, Bulgaria.
Robyn Cooper
Robyn is the Secretary of the WA Classical Ballet Teachers Association and a retired dancer and teacher who taught ballet in Wellington for several years and danced extensively in ballets and musical theatre. She has an extensive experience in administration and accounts management, including invoicing, financial reporting, banking, marketing, sales including her corporate work such as Australian Guarantee Corporation Ltd Perth, Western Australia as Investment Manager, State Investment Adviser, Branch Accountant and State Accounts Officer. Robyn worked as administrator and financial manager on many projects involving the WA dance community.
Mykola Mowczan
Mykola was the Immediate Past President (for over 18 years) of the Ukrainian Association of WA. He was born & bred in Perth and is highly regarded for his community work and has developed extensive links with WA community groups. Passionate about the performing arts and a musician himself, Mykola promotes the performing arts and Ukrainian culture throughout WA.
Cast
Claire Voss
Claire studied ballet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts with First Class Honours in Dance.
Her career in the highest circles of professional ballet took off in 2006 when she was invited to join Dortmund Ballet in Germany and she worked as a Demi-Soloist at other esteemed ballet institutions such as Zurich Ballet in Switzerland, Finnish National Ballet and finished her incredible career on stage in 2022 at West Australian Ballet. She has performed work by world renowned choreographers such as William Forsyth, George Balanchine, and Marius Petipa, while also lending her grace to interpret principal roles in masterpieces like the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Myrtha in Giselle. Her experience extended to choreography when she also had the opportunity to choreograph multiple pieces on the dancers of West Australian Ballet and for TV commercials.
Christian Luck
Born in Sydney, Christian commenced his training at the McDonald College of performing arts before being accepted into the Australian Ballet School where he completed a 3 year course, graduating with a diploma in dance.
In 2004, Christian joined the West Australian Ballet where he danced professionally for 18 years, making him the company’s longest serving member in their 70-year history. Christian danced numerous roles in his time with the company including several principal roles during that time.
Having now retired from ballet, Christian is very excited to pass on his knowledge of dance to the future generations of ballet stars.
Sarah Hepburn
Sarah trained as a dancer at Stevens Dance Academy under the tutelage of June Stevens and went on to complete 3 years at WAAPA. In her final year at WAAPA, Sarah was accepted to the West Australian Ballet where she danced all the principal roles from Juliet to Giselle to Lise and many others. She also worked and performed with many well-known international and Australian choreographers. Sarah guested frequently with Perth City Ballet as a principal.
She left WA Ballet at the end of 2018 to spend more time with her young family and now is a Perth based freelance dancer often performing with Australian Baroque in the Candlelight shows.
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