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Meet Peta
Adjudicator · Teacher · Educator · Mentor · Workshop Facilitator
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Peta Markham-Ward
A graduate of the University of New England with a Bachelor of Arts (Theatre Studies and Communications), Peta is also a full member and mentor with Australian Dance Adjudicators (ADA).
She has adjudicated extensively at local, regional, and national competitions since 2003, including Sydney Eisteddfod, Jump Dance Challenge, Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfod, and the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation along with many extended regional competitions. Her feedback is renowned for being knowledgeable, constructive, and encouraging, offering valuable insight for both performers and teachers.
Peta’s career includes teaching roles with the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, where she coordinates performing arts programs and she also coordiates & mentors teachers across multiple schools to facilitate dance, sport & fitness classes.
As the founder of Inspire Dance & Fitness and creator of the Inspire Arts Challenge, she has combined her passion for community engagement and the arts—raising awareness and funds for various charities while providing young performers with an inspiring platform to shine.
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An accomplished choreographer, Peta has produced and coordinated entertainment for high-profile events such as the BravEButterfly Gala, Northcott Gala Dinner, Western Sydney Business Awards, and Make Bullying History fundraisers. Her professional performance credits include national tours, television appearances, and collaborations with leading Australian artists such as Tina Arena, John Farnham, and Paul Mercurio to name a few.
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Committed to ongoing learning, Peta continues professional development through the Speakers Institute Protégé Program and maintains certifications in first aid, fitness, and education.
With additional experience in recruitment and team coordination, she brings exceptional communication, adaptability, and leadership to every role she undertakes.
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Peta’s approach is grounded in passion, integrity, and authenticity—qualities that have earned her a reputation as an inspiring adjudicator, educator, and mentor in Australia’s performing arts community.
Early Years
Dance never came easily to me.
I began at four years old in a local studio, but my first experience was short-lived. Working with extremely pronated hips and feet was not understood at the time, and the guidance I received did not support my physical needs. I didn’t even last a year.
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After several years of simply being a child — playing, exploring movement, and discovering how my body liked to move — my mum introduced me to ice skating for fun. That fun quickly turned into lessons, then privates, then partner work, and eventually the suggestion that dance training would help with my artistry. I took that advice and fell in love. Ice skating was left behind, and dance became my focus.
I returned to dance through a small local studio run out of a scout hall, with private lessons held in a garage. I competed occasionally, performed in pantomimes, and completed exams, but technical excellence always felt just out of reach. Once again, anatomical challenges limited my ability to achieve the technique expected.
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Recognising my passion and commitment, my mum moved me to a more technical studio with a strong focus on ballet. The training was strict, demanding, and emotionally challenging. I cried, I wanted to quit, and I often felt behind — yet resilience was forged.
I learned discipline, work ethic, and perseverance, even when results came slowly.​
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After years of ballet exams — mostly Passes and Merits — I began to understand my body better and accept that while technique might never be my greatest strength, performance was.
I craved expression, storytelling, and connection. This led me into performance-focused training, travelling long hours to immerse myself in singing, dancing, and acting. Live performance became my home, and it was here that I truly thrived.
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Alongside physical challenges came other hurdles — body image pressures and being judged on appearance — experiences that further strengthened my resolve. Through it all, performance quality remained my greatest asset: musicality, emotion, presence, and authenticity.
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By my mid-teens, I was assisting in classes, and by 17 I was teaching and choreographing. While competitions faded for a time, the foundations built through struggle, resilience, and performance would shape everything that followed.