Lizelle is the founder, owner and director of El’Shebang Dance, Body & Soul, as well as the main teacher and choreographer.
She started RAD ballet at the age of 6. After school she joined Pneumatix Ministry School for three years to complete the BTh Theology degree with a Dance Emphasis from SATS in 2008 while training in Ballet, Modern, Tap and Jazz, Choreography & Dance Team leadership, where her love for stage and choreography was absolutely set on fire!
Lizelle studied the field of Psychology part-time, as preparation for Dance Therapy and received her BA Health Sciences and Social Services degree from UNISA in 2011.
In 2009 she started as a Dance Coordinator at Doxa Deo Brooklyn Campus, while completing the three year AFL teachers training course to teach children, students adults in this Ballet-Modern-African fusion syllabus. She also completed her BASI Pilates Mat course in 2009 and started teaching Pilates in 2010.
Lizelle's love for Contemporary was discovered after becoming a dancer of ZiaDance with Jeannette Ziady and soon after also choreographer there.
After completing her ISTD Advanced 2 exams in Modern and Tap, Lizelle achieved her Teacher Associate Qualification in ISTD Modern Theatre and Tap, in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and then moved over from teaching AFL to ISTD.
In January 2013 Lizelle was proud to announce the birth of El’Shebang, Dance, Body & Soul, as she opened her own studio and started working under her own name.
In 2019 Lizelle got qualified as a Jazz-Ed teacher in the Jazz syllabus of Pinto Ferreira, and in 2022 successfully completed her ISTD Associate Tap Diploma qualification.
Lizelle got engaged to Bernard in November 2014, and became Mrs. Claassen in May 2015. In 2020 they became parents to their amazing little son, Divan, and now they are expecting another little brother to join their family in 2023.