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 and performing in high profile productions in Australia and USA. While I loved performing, I was drawn to teaching early in my dancing career. This led me to complete an arts and education degree and I have been teaching dance curriculum in NSW schools ever since. I had never planned to start my own dance business. Honestly, the dance studio world left scars on me as a young dancer; the toxic studio environment, the stressful (and catty) competitions and eisteddfods, then finding out how much money my parents were paying for my tuitions, uniforms, costumes and travel while attending competitions... it was all too much.

 

Unfortunately, the dance studio world hasn't changed much today. Class structures are often rigid, expensive and emphasise competition instead of artistry. ​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!

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There must be an alternative, right?!

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Since becoming a mother of two dance-loving girls, I needed an alternative! I simply didn't feel comfortable forcing my daughters into big concerts and eisteddfods, or make them wear garish costumes and make-up, nor could I afford (or justify) paying such expensive fees only for my daughters to be taught by student-teachers with little dance experience outside their own childhood dance studio.   

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And so Honest Dance was born.

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After many years of teaching dance in NSW 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.