THE STORY BEHIND HONEST DANCE

Hi there! I'm Mel, a teacher, a mother of four and living in the beautiful Blue Mountains. My love of dance started at the age of three and has continued to play a big role in my life. From the humble beginnings of dancing in a small community studio, to attending a prestigious performing arts school in Sydney, then obtaining an education degree and teaching dance in NSW school. Now, seeing my children grow up with an innate love of dance and becoming a 'dance mum', the journey has come full circle!   

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As a mother of young children interested in dance, I noticed the rigidity of the typical dance studio business model. Many studios push for concert, eisteddfod and syllabus exam participation from an early age. These environments present pressures and expectations that are very demanding on children and often become the source of why they lose their love of dance. Also, studios following this model often organise their classes by each dance style and charge fees accordingly. This can become very expensive if your child wishes to pursue all the styles on offer, not to mention adding costume and uniform fees onto the bill!

There must be an alternative, right?! And so Honest Dance was born.

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After many years of teaching dance in NSW public schools, I have witnessed that children learning to dance without the pressure of competition and graded exam systems tend to build a genuine love of the art form. I also know that dance education can be delivered through broad and enriched learning experiences that don't ask families to pay expensive fees. Most importantly, an honest relationship with dance fosters an appreciation of the arts, an awareness of health and wellbeing as well as assists in shaping confident, disciplined and respectful human beings. These are invaluable benefits that go beyond the dance classroom as transferable life skills.  

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At Honest Dance, we endeavour to bring dance back to it's roots as an art form, free from commercialisation and competition. Our mission is to instil a real love of dance in our students, provide a safe space for them to explore who they are and become apart of a community of likeminded people - an incredible gift you can provide for your child in their most vulnerable years.

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Explore our site for more information about what Honest Dance offers, and feel free to reach out with questions.