Sunlight Queenz are bringing full-force femme power to the Canberra stage

Posted on 5 February, 2026

For choreographer and dancer Allison Vasquez, Sunlight Queenz is so much more than a dance crew.

It’s passion. It’s connection. It’s a chance to show Canberra how fierce female dancers can be.

Free from the constraints of genre and driven by a desire to break the mould, it takes less than two minutes of watching the crew perform for audiences to realise that ‘Queenz’ isn’t just a name – it’s a title. And they wear the crown proudly.

The Queenz fuse together Reggaeton, Afro, Dancehall, Hip-Hop, and Commercial styles to create bold and dynamic performances that are unlike anything else seen on a local stage.

Led by Allison and made up of 16 women aged 19 to 40 plus, the crew has been performing for over 10 years as part of Sunlight Dance Studio. And they’re all about celebrating women, diversity and dance.

What makes Queenz so unique is how all the women balance full-time occupations during the day – including work, study and parenting – with dancing long into the night.

“We’re so committed to this, especially in spite of how busy our lives can be,” she says.

“What else makes us different is the breadth of genres that we dance. We try to pay homage to a lot of the styles, and we hope that will be evident in the show.”

For dancer Seriden Hall, Queenz is just one part of an already packed schedule.

Working in Drug and Alcohol Policy for ACT Government during the day, training with Queenz Monday and Wednesday nights, dancing with a Swing troupe on Thursday nights and teaching beginner Swing on Saturdays, she says dance plays a vital role in her overall wellbeing.

Seriden only started dancing as an adult and now dances up to 10 hours a week. She says she was drawn to the Queenz after starting in Swing, but never thought she would be good enough to join the crew.

“They were so intimidating but so impressive – all groove and power and fierceness. It just makes such an impression when you really love dancing.”

“ Joining became my long-term goal and eventually I was offered an invitation to the group, which was crazy…Something Alison said to me is, ‘If you join Queenz, it will be one of the best decisions you make in your life.’ And I feel like it’s so true – it’s such a special community.”

Like Seriden, Queenz crew member Raquel Madaffari is also balancing a full-time career with dance. Working as a national training manager for an insurance brokerage, she also manages the Queenz social media pages and assists with costumes.

“I’ve grown up as a dancer and was always interested in crews, but the dance world is very different when you’re younger,” explains Raquel.

“Coming into dancing as an adult, I was starting to explore different styles and started going to Ali’s classes, which I became obsessed with. I had watched the Queenz on stage before and had thought they were so cool. They had a different style to what I’d ever seen before.”

Describing the experience of dancing with the other Queenz as ‘safe, supportive and fun’, Raquel says the strength of the crew comes from a shared sense of commitment and drive.

“It’s a really nice thing to be a part of. We are there for each other when we dance and that extends to supporting each other through the ups and downs of life outside of dance.”

All three women say that dancing with the Queenz has helped them build confidence on and off the stage. And you have a chance to see that confidence firsthand when The Queenz Show comes to the stage on Saturday 21 February.

Allison has choreographed a performance that she describes as fierce, uplifting and diverse and which will bring the “full force of femme power”. She says she wants the audience to walk away feeling inspired, empowered and energised from the Queenz’s first show of the year.

“I think in the dance world, you hear the word ‘femme’, and instinctively you’re taken to more feminine styles, particularly Heels,” she says.

“When I think of ‘femme’, I think of styles that are fierce and hard-hitting because, as women, I don’t think we’re limited to anything. Femme includes power, groove, strength and everything in between.”

“Particularly after the birth of my daughter, I have this newfound appreciation for what a woman’s body can do, Celebrating that – moving in a million different ways – feels like a powerful way to pay tribute.”

Showing for one night only at the Gungahlin College Performing Arts Centre, one of the city’s fiercest crews will be donning their crowns once again. And Canberra will be bowing down.

Images supplied.