Lauren Watson
Head Teacher
Lauren has been part of the dance world since the age of 3 and the physie world since the age of 5. She has worked professionally within the industry with credits including ‘The Great Gatsby’, ‘Goddess’ the movie musical, ‘Hair and Bridal Expo’, Showcase National Dance Championships MC/host; as well as appearing in shows and music videos such as Channel 7’s ‘Sunrise’ and ‘So you think you can dance’ as well as been a Brand Ambassador for the NRL West Tigers.
Lauren has an extensive list of training including:
- Bachelors in Dance Education
- Certificate IV in Performing Arts
- Certificate III & IV in Fitness
- Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
- VET teacher qualified in Assistant Dance Teaching
Lauren ran a successful dance studio for a number of years before closing this and moving into using her formal education qualification. Lauren is now the Head Teacher of PDHPE & Dance at a Department of Education school and works regularly with the Arts unit for a number of dance festivals as well as directing all performances & presentations run by her high school.
In 2024, Lauren began teaching at Mounties Physie and also had an extremely successful physie year, being in the Ladies & Senior Winning team and becoming the Divison 1 Ladies Champion. She is excited for what 2025 has to offer!
Emily- Rose Watts
9-12s, Teens, Ladies
Emily-Rose has been doing Physie since the age of 19 and trained in many styles of dance from a young age including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary and Irish dancing. Emily-Rose competed in many competitions and eisteddfod’s as a soloist, duo, trio and group and also performed at many fairs and displays. Emily-Rose was also apart of the stage production ‘Gang Show’ performing at Riverside Theatres and performed in the 'Nutcracker'.
Emily-Rose currently works as a registered nurse and is passionate about caring for people Emily-Rose returns to our teaching team to coach our 9-12s, Teenagers and Ladies classes and is enthusiastic about encouraging people to do their best!
Alannah Hayward
Teens, Seniors & Ladies
Alannah has loved physie since the age of just 2 years old. From tiny tots to now open age seniors, Alannah has competed in many individual and team competitions and achieved great success across multiple codes of physie. Her most recent achievements include being a member of the Overall Champion Team in the Seniors section, being awarded the Seniors Division 1 Champion in the 2024 Grand Final and then moving on to be announced the United Physical Culture Overall Grand Champion Girl.
Alannah has trained in classical ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop and contemporary dancing but finds physie is where she is able to combine her flair and flexibility with strength and stamina aswell as an avenue to socialise, get fit and learn the importance of teamwork, good leadership and hard work.
Alannah returns to our teaching team in 2025 to coach our Teens, Seniors and Ladies and is looking forward to sharing her passion for detail in the UPC Syllabus.
Mary McSweeney
Tiny Tots & 5-8s
Mary has participated in physie over the past 10 years across multiple associations. She was successful in 2023 where she was awarded 3rd place in Ladies Division 3 at United Physical Culture's first ever Grand Final. Last year, she assisted in coaching 2 junior teams for the first time with both teams achieving excellent results. Whilst in 2024, Miss Mary was unable to compete in the individual championships due to pregnancy, she did strive to compete in our teams championship where her team was excitedly awarded 4th place!
Mary is looking forward to returning to our teaching team in 2025 to coach our tiny tots and 5-8s.
Lauren Mckenzie
Tiny Tots, 5-8 years, 9-12 years, Teens assistant
Lauren’s physie journey began with her sister Eryn in 2013 where she finally found a sport that both her and her sister enjoyed. Since then, Lauren has found a deeper appreciation for physie after experiencing the profound sense of community at Mounties.
In 2024, Lauren coached many successful teams and competed in the 13-17s Team which received 3rd place. Lauren also received the Sportsmanship medal at the annual awards ceremony for her dedication and commitment to not only coaching but supporting every individual member at Mounties.
Lauren completed her HSC in 2024 and this year will begin studing a Bachelors in Education. She has thoroughly enjoyed teaching the younger age groups at Mounties since joining and is motivated to start assisting and developing her teaching capabilities with the older age groups.
Lucy Crump
Junior Assistant Teacher
Lucy started doing physie 7 years ago and has loved every minute of it. Since Lucy began physie, she has gained useful skills that have aided her in her studies and in the workforce. Lucy will complete Year 12 in 2025 and is grateful that, while the HSC provides its challenges, she has a safe space where she can continue to maintain her physical and mental health. Lucy has made many lifelong friends through physie and loves that she is able to share it with her Mum. It has given her a sense of belonging and purpose in the formative years of high school and she intends on doing physie for many more years to come.
Lucy joins the teaching team in 2025 as an assistant teacher to our tiniest groovers and the 5-8 years class. She is excited to learn the ropes of teaching and is grateful to have such wonderful mentors to guide her.
