TEAM

Daniel

Early Dancing Life

 

I started dancing at the age of 13 in the art of classical ballet. By the age of 14

I went onto full time training at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. My full time dance studies continued at Dance World 301 where I completed my diploma as a Master at Classical Ballet. Dance styles covered in my early full time training were Classical, National, Contemporary, Jazz and Flamenco as well as a range of subjects based on dance physiology and anatomy.

 

Early Teaching Career

 

As an adult I started looking for ways to start a teaching career as I needed to earn a living, and that is when I came across ballroom dancing.

I saw a job advertised to become a ballroom dance instructor and I applied for the job. As I am a third generation dancer I asked my mum, who used to be a ballroom dance instructor, to teach me a few moves. I was successful with my interview and started learning and teaching all styles of social dancing Modern Ballroom, Latin, Street Latin, New Vogue and wedding couple routines.

 

By 23 I encountered Dancesport and commenced my study of Dancesport while still teaching social and medalist dancing. Eventually l realized the best thing for me to do was to follow my passion and move to London where

I lived for seven years.

 

My time in London

 

London allowed me to gain much more knowledge by meeting fantastic professionals who assisted me with obtaining my qualifications as

a Fellow in Latin American and Modern Ballroom with the ISTD.

 

I also was lucky enough to learn from great instructors who provided me with great information enabling my wife and I to achieve great results in our professional career in a relatively short amount of time.

 

I was absolutely amazed at the standard of medalist dancing in the UK. There was an expectation that students had to meet a certain standard to be able to pass an exam and the bench mark was set a lot higher than I was used to in Australia.

 

This also carried through to the medalist competitions which had strict guidelines about using steps relevant to the level that you are competing in. If the rules were not followed the result would be disqualification.

 

Despite this strict approach students and teachers were very happy and enthusiastic, you could see that achieving these goals had real meaning

and a true sense of achievement.

 

I also had many students win competitions and place highly both in the

UK and Australia from kids to seniors in Ballroom and Latin American.

 

What motivates me to teach?

 

My greatest joy is not the places that students get in competitions, it is watching people improve and gain in confidence. This is achieved through setting goals whether it be exams, showcase performances or competitions.

 

Dancing isn’t just in the blood it is a learned skill that anyone can be good at it with a bit of persistence and patience. With focus in the right areas everyone has the ability to master their body and unleash their creative abilities no matter their age, shape or size.

 

There is something in dancing for everyone, it increases confidence,

strength, fitness, balance, coordination, memory, creativity, social skills, communication, awareness of others and patience.

 

These skills I teach in any dance style Ballroom, Latin, Street Latin, New Vogue, Argentine Tango to name a few. Step patterns are just the tip of the iceberg in dancing I will take you on an enjoyable journey where you will learn all these skills in a fun environment and feeling self-conscious will become a thing of the past.

 

Milla

Hi, my name is Milla,

 

I discovered my passion for dance, both classical and theatrical as a young child. I was born in Russia. There my mother, fabricating my age, snuck me into 5 year old Ballet classes when I was only aged 3! My love of dance has only grown from then on.

 

I later discovered Modern Ballroom and Latin American dancing, which opened up an even wider world of dance. From there my interest spread to Argentine Tango and Street Latin.

 

My passion for dance, and everything it can give people, comes across in my teaching.

 

I have a fun, but technical style in my approach to teaching. Nothing pleases me more than seeing the wonder and excitement that comes across my students faces as they learn new ways to express themselves to music.

 

Dancing is an escape from the mediocre, and I look forward to empowering others to find it for themselves.