In just five years, local creative Lisa Antoinette Herbert has built a social media following of thousands, travelled solo to America at 22, appeared in Paramount Pictures’ Better Man, and worked with music heavyweights including Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg.
Growing up in Casey’s Narre Warren, she faced a tough decision at just 10 years old: continue with swimming or pursue dancing — a choice that would shape the rest of her life, career and passion.
Describing dance as her “whole life”, Lisa says performing has encompassed most of her formative years; from competitive dancing at the age of five, to studying VCE Dance in her final years of high school, and later completing a Diploma of Professional Dance, where she met key industry figures.
“I went full time, got my diploma, and I was like, okay, I think I’m really good at this,” Lisa said.
“Then Covid hit, and I thought maybe I picked the wrong career.
“But then, for some reason, I stuck it out.
“And then the moment Covid ended, I started getting all this work and I said ok, I can do this.”
Now 27, the avid dancer has initiated two business ventures, The Dance Abyss and PORTAL, which establishes a dance community in Melbourne for fellow passionate dancers and younger come ups.
It was during and following the isolation of the pandemic that she began to leverage social media as well as the vast world of the industry through zoom and online classes.
“It was probably after Covid when I happened to push through, and I was actively posting online,” said Lisa.
“There were so many zoom classes and as much as it was crap, It was a really good opportunity to learn from people that you usually couldn’t.
“So I was posting that I was learning from people in America, people from the UK, just because it was a zoom class, so anyone can take it.”
Getting her foot in the door through her agency in 2022, Lisa landed her big first break in the industry.
Starting off with British icon Robbie Williams’ international tour in 2022-23, she’s since gone on to dance front and centre on stage with Snoop Dogg at the 2025 AFL, Jessica Mauboy, Katy Perry, Delta Goodrem and Tones and I.
Fiercely looking at her persistence and achievements, Lisa says her parents are proud of her, and “so happy” watching her do what she loves.
“Seeing their reaction after all the big jobs, that’s been so worth it”, Lisa said.
“When they came to Robbie Williams, seeing their faces after I came out from backstage was just very much in awe.
“And seeing my father and my mum when I came home after Snoop Dogg, they were like, ‘we watched it like 100 times’, it was so funny, and they showed everyone.
“I’m glad I persisted through it as much as I did.
“I did it because I knew, I just knew that I would be able to make it and make money.”
Utilising her experience and hard lessons during her own time as a dancer, Lisa says she’s now found a passion for teaching and choreography.
“In my opinion, to be a good teacher, you need to experience the industry,” she said.
“Because I’m not just teaching the steps.
“I want to teach how to be in a room, when you’re with certain photographers and how to hold yourself in a rehearsal space, how to handle yourself in an audition.
“Because I’ve done auditions and whatnot, they’re not fun, they’re terrifying, you get grilled.”
Successfully making it out of the dance industry noise herself, Lisa now has her eager eyes set on California.
“I feel like my choreography is really good and I’ve had so many people that I’ve connected with in LA share my stuff and they’re like, ‘you need to hurry up and come to America and teach’,” she told Star News.
“When I was there last year, the amount of people that I just got into the studio with is more than what I would do in Melbourne which is crazy, because everyone was like, you’re good, and I forget that here.”
The performer describes dance as “magic”, explaining that it goes beyond learning steps but also about the lyrical actions that are embedded in dance culture from all over the world.
“When I was younger, I was like, okay, it’s just the movement,” said the Star.
“But as you get older and the better you get, the more you become aware.
“Because when it comes to the best dancers, what makes a difference is obviously the vibe and the feeling of where it comes from.
“And you can see if they’ve got their foundations and the foundations of history.
“It’s Important to be aware and know what you’re doing, especially when you have any type of platform and I won’t ever teach anything unless I know about it.”
Her business, the Dance Abyss, works to instill these exact values in Melbourne’s dance community.
The Abyss, which she began in 2024, works as a dance nightclub which invites performers, dancers and agencies all over Melbourne and beyond to attend.
Already the event has received acclaim, with attendees and fellow dancers commending the night as a “celebration of queerness and inclusivity”.
Her last event, which she organises and funds herself, acquired a sponsorship from major dance apparel company, Bloch, and according to the performer, she’s now in discussion with many other potential sponsorships for her next Abyss event.
With her plans laid out for America in the near future, in the meanwhile, Lisa hopes to continue teaching the core values of dancing which for her, goes beyond teaching steps.
“I know when it comes to being in the industry, when you go from dancing in school and then you go full time, it changes your perspective of dance,” she recounts.
“That’s what you get told like you are a product. And that strips back people’s passion for it and it becomes a mundane job.
“But for me, your job is not to be mundane. It is to have magic.
“So you have to find ways of keeping your passion alive. And remember, people are going to pay money to watch you have fun. They can’t watch you to be stressed out.
“I love teaching but I just hate seeing kids get so scared and they get so insecure about themselves and their body, like, no, you’re good. Just have fun.”
