Where to begin?
Our invitation to enter our Regional Heroes feature prompted a huge response!
WHERE to begin? as one reader wrote in describing the merits of the school she nominated. Having received hundreds of enthusiastic and at times quite moving nominations for our Regional Heroes feature, it was impossible to decide who to choose to include.
As Michelle Dursun, Dance Australias' education writer, said: "Every year I am humbled and in awe of the sensational work these regional schools and teachers are doing, along with the difference that they are all making in their communities.
"It seems to me that dance schools and teachers (particularly in regional areas) are not given the credit they deserve for the positive impact that they have, not only on their students, but on the whole community.
"It is so lovely to be able to honour a few – though there are examples in all regional areas of Australia – they really are heroes!"
In the next few pages we have published four schools, picked more-or-less at random. Here are a few more examples of the comments we received:
Bodies in Motion
Mossman, Qld
“We live in the tiny little town of Mossman. Saskia is an incredible dance teacher, but what truly sets her aside is the values she has as she opens those doors each day. She has made BIM a second home where every student feels like family and they belong. Mossman is a little town and at times can be a hard place to raise children in terms of opportunity, but dance is alive and well thanks to Saskia.”
Julie Ryan Dancers
Traralgon, Vic
"What stands out for me, as a secondary school teacher in Traralgon, is how rare it is in our community for young people to be given opportunities to experience genuine excellence and eminence in anything – let alone something artistic like dance. The team at JRD not only provide, as cliched as it sounds, a second family – they also allow so many young people in our area the chance to achieve at a state and national level. Rural disadvantage
