Hi! My name is Miss Emily and I am a teacher at Reflections Academy of Dance. I started dancing at the age of 6 because my mums friend said it would be good for me and then her daughter would have a friend there! I hated it my first lesson and thought my teacher was too scary and didn’t want to continue but my mum said “come on, just give it another try!” Let me tell you, I am so happy she did and I haven’t stopped since!
I stayed at the same dance school for well over 15 years doing all different styles from jazz to ballroom to ballet and so much more. I started to really focus on my teachers at about 9 years old and thought wow, what a cool job! It was what I wanted to do and nothing else. I started assisting at about 12 years old and fell more in love with the idea of being a dance teacher. I assisted with our Artistic Director Kiandra, our VCE teacher Hannah and also our elite tap teacher Della!
I have a lot of experience in not only the classroom but also on stage and backstage! I have participated in many competitions and floorshows throughout the years. I remember we performed at Crown Casino in the palladium and it was always such an experience. I was positive I wanted to do a solo and everyone was so encouraging so off I went onto the floor. The music started and I remember looking around with the biggest smile on my face and it suddenly dropped and I had the biggest panic attack ever! I burst into tears but didn’t stop dancing! I didn’t want to let my teachers, fellow dancers and my family down so I just kept going! By the time the music stopped I think all my makeup had smudged off, I must’ve looked like a clown! I was so proud of myself though and continued every year to get up there and do a solo despite the stage fright! I got out there and tried every year and finally one of my last competitions, I got 3rd place for my ballet solo and still have the trophy to this day! It is one of the only trophies or medals I have kept because it reminds me of how much I had overcome and it always reminds me to keep going and keep trying, with everything in life!
I remember when Kiandra offered me a job teaching at RAD, I don’t think I said yes fast enough! Kiandra was my first ballet teacher and I knew straight away she was destined for something great and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I started at RAD in 2014 with some sub-junior classes and have extended my teaching to a variety of ages from our READY SET DANCE classes to our recreational Pre-Seniors and LOVE every single age group! I definitely have and continue to learn so much not just from Kiandra but every single teacher at RAD. Everyone is so inspiring in their own ways and it honestly is overwhelming in the best way possible! I have been so blessed to learn from so many amazing teachers and have had countless opportunities to learn even more at RAD. The range of teachers I get to work so closely with are one of the reasons I still teach.
Dance has been the best outlet for me mentally and physically and I will continue to teach until I’m old and grey or until I’m told to stop haha! It’s crazy to think I’ve been in the dance world for over 18 years now and it’s exciting to think I have many more to come!
Thank you for reading my journey.
All my best,
Miss Emily x