Ep9 - Performer to Principal: The Bodies In Motion Story with Saskia Turner

Episode 9 – Saskia Turner | Bodies In Motion Dance School

In this episode we sit down with Saskia Turner, principal of Bodies In Motion Dance School in Mossman. Saskia shares the story of taking over the studio at just 21 and the leap of faith that came with stepping into such a big role so young.

We chat about her own dance journey, how the school has evolved since she took the reins in 2012, and the incredible growth of Bodies In Motion from humble beginnings to the thriving community it is today. Saskia also gives us insight into the world behind the studio doors; from Eisteddfods and ATOD exams to finding the balance between creativity, performance and assessment for her students.

We also talk about the magic of seeing dancers take to big stages, including performances at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre and traveling interstate for competitions. 

It’s a conversation about passion, persistence and building something meaningful for the next generation of dancers. 💃✨

@bimdanceschool

https://www.bodiesinmotion.net.au/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

All the juice straight from the makeup booth. Welcome to the Booth Juice. Our next guest on the Booth Juice has been a massive part of my life since I was about seven years old. She is the principal of the Bodies in Motion Dance School and has gone from being my teacher and mentor to one of my closest friends. Please welcome Saskia. Thank you so much for joining us today, Sask. We might start with maybe an intro into Bodies in Motion and what you guys do at your dance school.

SPEAKER_02 0:33

Sure. So Bodies in Motion is um the only dance school in our Douglas Shire, and we are located in Mossman on Front Street, and currently we're home to 250 local shooters. That's so good. That's like as big as the primary schools. Yeah, we're actually bigger than some of the primary schools to be honest. Oh my god, that's awesome. Yeah. And what sort of genres do you um have on offer? We currently offer classes in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop. I'm trying to think if there's anything else. Preschool, adults, yeah, and I think that's it. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

That's so great.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

It's such a from ages what, like three right up to Yeah, so we take enrolments with students that start um from two and a half through to adults. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Lovely. Now we're gonna backtrack a little bit because I'd love to hear your story of how you got into being a dance school principal at such a young age and all that sort of stuff. So do you want to take us right back to when did you start dancing?

SPEAKER_02 1:35

I was actually a bit of a late bloomer. I didn't start dancing until I was 12. Yeah, right. Yeah, so a lot of students um normally parents will enrol them when they're like three, four, five. Um, but I was a netball gal. I loved my netball, and that's what I did when I was younger. But um, yeah, when I was 12, all my friends um did a dance class and they were like, come along, and I was like, Oh, I don't know. So yeah, I went along to my first dance class at 12, and um I was like, What is this? This is amazing. Um, fell in love, and yeah, from there I just kind of progressed through the ranks and started taking more classes in different genres and um kind of expanding, going to workshops, doing all that kind of thing. Um, but yeah, if you were taught talk to most students now, they would say that they would have started when they were like three or four. Yeah. But yeah, so 12 for me. Yeah, I think I was three when I started. Yes, yeah, yeah. Oh, cute.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

And did you start with um did you start with Prue or No?

SPEAKER_02 2:32

I actually started it with a studio um called Choreography by Nell. So yeah, back in the day, yeah, there was um two dance schools in our area, one in Port Douglas, one in Mossman. So I started um with Nell Jenkins in Port Douglas, um, and I was there for two years. Um, and then I transferred over to Bodies in Motion in Mossman. There was more opportunity for exams and different styles of dance. Um I decided, yeah, basically after that first year of dancing, I was like, no, this is me, and this is um definitely something I want to pursue. Um yeah, I remember going to a workshop in Cairns actually. They used to do like touring workshops with say Sydney choreographers. Um, and I went up to them at the end and I was like, um, I want some advice. Like, I'm only new to dancing. Um, you know, it was 13 at that point, I think. Um, you know, what what can you tell me? And they were like, Oh, we can see that you have, you know, the passion and natural talent and blah blah blah, but you need technical training. Right. Um, so they were like, you need to enrol in ballet, you need to yeah, try and get tap, like different genres under your belt. Um, so yeah, I went over to Bodies in Motion at 14. Yeah, and I had to start from the bottom. So even though all my friends were in, say like level six tap or something, I had to join with the 10-year-olds and start from scratch. And really, yeah, yeah. I remember dancing, like there was there's actually a video, um, I forget what concert it was, of me, like 15, 14-year-old Saskia, like big tall in the back row and all the little shorties, and we're doing a tap dance. No, no lie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, oh well, this is what I want to do, and this is what I have to do. I need to learn the basics and I need to, you know, master kind of my craft. Um, yeah, so there were even years there where I did like two levels in the same year so that I could speed up the process and like kind of catch up to my peers in ballet and tap because I hadn't done it. I was like playing catch-up essentially compared to everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

That is dedication as like a teenager, you know, because you're already under so much pressure just being a teenager and trying to fit in, let alone being put with the 10-year-old, you know, just shows how much he really wanted to do it.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

But I'm glad, I'm glad I did it. Like it's obviously character building, yeah. Um, and probably instilled, yeah, some good good qualities in me now. And um, yeah, but no, it's it's what I had to do to kind of catch up, so it was kind of no question, this is what I did.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

So then did you go on to study after Bodies in Motion then?

SPEAKER_02 5:03

Yeah, so I finished um like high school dancing at Bodies in Motion and I started um assistant teaching and then teaching um and then I did my teaching qualification while I was still at bodies in my gap year after school. Um so I did uh yeah, my certificate of teaching through the Southern Federation of Dance. Um, and then yeah, from there I was kind of in a bit of a limbo land post-school. I was like, do I want to leave the security and the safety of my small town that I've grown up in, or do I want to go and spread my wings or you know? Um so yeah, I bit the bullet and I auditioned for a full-time course in Brisbane called Raw Dance Company. Yeah. Um, and I got in. So I moved to Brizzle, it was very scary. Um, and yeah, I did a full-time course and I studied a certificate in dance and business that year.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Cool. So full-time, does that mean like five days a week?

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Yeah, Monday to Friday, eight or four, like rehearsals at night, weekends for any extra gigs or shows or anything you might get asked to do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Did you have to do theory as well?

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Yes, yeah. So it was like a um nationally recognized certificate. So yeah, we had um a theory teacher come in and we learnt oh all sorts of units like anatomy, nutrition. Um God, I can't even remember that. Yeah, but yeah, and then there was a business component too, so learning how um you know tax works and how to invoice if you book a gig and um all those kind of like life skills.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

I think that's interesting because a lot of people probably just assume that oh, I'm a full-time dancer, it is just in the studio, yeah, learning Cori and that sort of stuff. But you've obviously got all these other skills that you're learning if you're studying full. For sure too, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Like, little did I know that during that year, like the next year, I would actually come back. Like, I I didn't know at that time, obviously, that I would come back to Mossman and end up buying Bodies in Motion, but it's like kind of ironic that I was studying business as well, that I ended up owning a business at 21.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

So, can you tell us how how you did get to owning a business at 21?

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Well, I always thought that I would come back and buy bodies like takeover from Prue, the previous principal. Yeah, like I always kind of felt that, like, you know, I really felt my own when I was teaching, and I was I was teaching so much for Prue, like um my senior years in high school and that gap year. I was yeah, doing a lot and I was very heavily involved. I was like, this is my jam, like I really like this. Um, but I thought that maybe I would go and have a few years down south, like you know, rather than just one. Um, but yeah, all the kind of stars aligned. Prue had had two young kids by that point, and she was, yeah, so she was a young mum and she wasn't home. She was working a million hours as you do as a dance studio owner. Um, and she was ready to step back and take a bit of time with her kids. Um, so I remember um yeah, I was like in bed one night at full time, was kind of nearing the second half of the year. Um, and yeah, she called me and was like, What do you think? Like, what what what are your plans? Like, what what do you think if I sell you, Bim? Yeah, and I was like, Oh, I'll think about it, but I'm pretty sure I didn't think about it for very long. I think it was only a day or two, and I was like, Yep, okay, I'm coming home. I'll so yeah, I graduated um from Raw and I actually we had our grad performance on like a Thursday or something in Brisbane, and then I packed up everything that night. Like we went to the after party and like did all the all of that. Um, and then we flew like home on the 6am flight the next morning, and I went straight to the Sheridan for dress rehearsal for the bodies concert.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

And it actually doesn't surprise me what sort of.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

I know, but then like it was um it was 2010, it was mystified, right? Yeah, and I don't know why, like somehow remotely, maybe like via Zoom. I don't even know if Zoom was around back then, but Skype, maybe yeah, I must have, um or maybe it was during the school holidays, I'm not sure. I must have helped choreograph like routines for the seniors, like while I was living in Brisbane, and I I don't know why, put myself in one of the routines. So I rock up from my grad, my after party. I was at the Sheridan and I jumped into the dress rehearsal at Bodies. I hadn't rehearsed with any of the my like peers or like the seniors before, jumped straight into a um a senior routine and yeah, help helped like at the concert and obviously performed in that one routine, and um, and then yeah, then it was like Christmas, and then as of the 1st of Jan, I was owner.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Wow. And we know how much of a whirlwind all of that is in general, but then to stick grad and flying back, and then being a 21-year-old, and then suddenly that gap between you know Christmas New Year, and then it's it's all yours. Yeah, it was hectic.

unknown 10:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

So what that that was 2011 then you started, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Yeah, so um 2011 was where I was in Brisbane, and then 2012 was my first year as owner.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Okay, wow, yeah. So did you were you like did you just have this knowing that this is what you were gonna do and there was no fear, or were you just like okay, I kinda know, but I'm you know I'm gonna be real, like I was winging it.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Yeah, I mean, I still am winging it to be honest. Are we all? Yeah, um, I yeah, I just knew that I loved dancing, yeah, I love teaching, um, and that yeah, bodies was like my my safe space and like my my thing, I guess. Um, so it all made sense, but like there were a lot of things I had no idea, and um yeah, thank God that Prue was able to kind of hold my hand in that changeover period, and obviously owe a lot to um Jodi, our wonderful office manager, who was there through both um ownerships through Prue and myself. Shout out Jodie, yeah, shout out to Jody. She's been working there for 23 years, 23 of bodies, 25 years. Yeah, um, so that all really helped the transition a lot too. But um, yeah, no, I was I was definitely nervous, like yeah. Um, but yeah, I guess that fire in my belly about my passion for dance, and I just I remember feeling like I wanted to go in and grab everything with two hands and um like just elevate everything. I wanted to make it bigger, I wanted to do um two shows a year. You know, we started doing our mid year showcases like a fundraiser, and I had all these grand ideas, um, and slowly I just started like hustling to like make it all work and um yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

I've um I I do definitely I mean that was kind of my peak time being there. So yeah, I think I was there from 2008 or something until yes, I still remember um Boot Delicious.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

No, we are not putting that in the I think you should stand up and give us a swell with that iconic move.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Boot Delicious comes out every time we all hang out in a social setting and there's too many proseccos going around, but you know, you guys can watch that one day. I wonder if I could find a snippet and you like insert it here. Yeah, so I I do feel like that was um really part of my time being there as well. So I got to watch you grow from being a young adult into what you are now, and yeah. What do you do you feel like um what do you think the biggest change has been since owning? I mean, obviously now you've got a new studio. Um what sort of other things have you done to sort of grow?

SPEAKER_02 12:54

It's hard to kind of pinpoint one thing. Like at times there, I think our biggest year in terms of student numbers was um 2018, maybe 2019, like just before COVID. We were sitting at nearly 360 students and it was massive. And you probably remember it was that era when we had our permanent studio above the news agency with the iconic poll in the middle. Oh yes. Um, and then we were running classes in the dance room at St. Augustine's, and then also classes um at the Uniting Church Hall in their little um function room. Yeah, or sometimes we'd have to externally hire the Bowls Club function room or the Shire Hall. Buffs Hall. Buffs Hall, like it was with no air code. No, it was crazy, and you know, I logistically trying to have three teachers at once and making sure that they've each because you know we didn't have Bluetooth speakers back then. So they were carrying like literal stereos with like the corded speakers on the side and like an iPod touch or something, like plug it in. Yep, the syllabus, um, they'd have to take down any props that they needed, um, and logistically making sure that everyone was okay, like they'd need to obviously take um a first aid kit if they needed any like ballet equipment, like making sure everyone was okay, and then sometimes kids would have um you know, ballet down at that venue, and then at five o'clock they'd have tap up at that venue because of just teacher timetabling, and you're like, How yeah, so I guess the change from going from that chaos, organized chaos um to now being in our permanent premises where we have three studios under one roof, yeah, it's that would yeah, I agree that would probably be the biggest change is yeah, having that ease and not having to, you know. If I needed to hire a venue, you obviously have to go through the proper channels and hire through the council or whatever private company.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

And um I think there's so much work that goes into hiring venues and people realise as well because yeah, yeah, the liabilities and everything are just insane. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. It's so cool. I mean, I I feel particularly special because I got to well be a part of building the new studio, but just watching you as well, like go from it's so funny because at one point as well, right as you started, Saskia was Reef's kindie teacher at the same time. Okay, so my brother was like four or five, and there's photos of Saskia and Reef when they were little. So Saskia's been a massive part of our life as you know the Ward family. Um being kindie teacher from Kindie teacher to my teacher to my boss. I was a um I was an assistant teacher for a while as well, and then you know, my Saskia has choreographed fun flash mob dances for our you know different birthday parties and events and things that we've had as well. So she's sort of um been a little extension of our family as well. Um, but I think it's so incredible to have watched your confidence grow as well as a teacher and a mentor, and yeah, it's it's really, really cool. Thank you. I feel very, very grateful to have grown up in such a welcoming and encouraging community. I really feel like you taught us from a young age, as girls, you know, to be strong and to be loud and to, you know, to have attitude and you know, have some style and stuff. And um I I think you have shaped not only me but a lot of the girls I grew up with um into the women we are today from the values, you know. I think people sort of go, oh, a dance school uh is very aesthetic and it's all about posture and you know, whatever the performance side of it is, but there's such a like a moral side to it too, I suppose. Sure. Yeah character building and um learning to cooperate with others and build each other up and support each other as well.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Yeah, that's where the real magic is. Yeah, like my some of my closest friends I've met through dance and like as similar to you, like you were saying, like my connections that I've made through bodies, like are just it's a different, you would agree, like your dance friends are just like different in, you know. I don't know, because you have that shared passion, I'm not sure what it is. Yeah, but you just have this connection that um yeah, just that common interest and that thing that and yeah, it's just I don't know, I can feel like especially in my seniors, and I've obviously had a lot of cohorts of seniors pass through um the studio since I've owned it, but I can feel that they are they want to see the studio succeed as much as I do. You know, I can see that they genuinely um like their loyalty and their like they're they're in it, they don't just come for their class and then leave. Like they they want to help, they they want to contribute, and they they are kind of like part of the school in a deeper level than just performing on the stage and or representing Adam Stadford or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

It's like a family, I suppose, because yes, you turn up to your classes, but also you're walking from school together. Like I remember my childhood was walking to Woolley's, buying a quarter of a watermelon. Us girls would pack a spoon in our bags, there'd be like four of us digging into a watermelon, and we'd share this watermelon, and then we'd spend, you know, we'd go to sunrise back when sunrise was there. Sunrise sunrise was the best little cafe, and it was like 10 cent lollies and the hot chips, and just survive, it was so cute anyway. We miss it very much. Um, but when I think about my childhood, that's the memories, you know, and then obviously we went to the class together, but it was you know, driving in the you know, we'd all carple together and you get to know the different parents, and then prepping for concerts, it's everyone gets in, and you help bump in, and then you all help bump out, and you you know, my mum used to build sets, and it was very much a community effort, and we all um helped each other and you know got in, and it wasn't just yeah, go to a class and then somehow there's a concert at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

It's yeah, there's so much in between that yeah, yeah, and it it does, it takes a village, yeah. Um yeah, for sure. But no, that's the definitely one of the special parts about yeah, dancing and yeah, BIM is special evil. I mean, a bit biased. Yeah, no, absolutely and like the connections that you make. Like, I know that we are a small dance school and a small community, so our paths cross in different ways. Like you were saying before, you know, I was Reefs kinda assistant and like all that kind of thing, but also like the connections that then have the longevity past when you guys are get grade 12 and you graduate and you go off and do your thing and stop dancing, you know. What kind of I was thinking on the drive-in today, I'm like, what kind of my most kind of surreal moment is now I guess because Bodies in Motion has hit its 25th year of business, so now I've got I can't even we had like an open class a couple of weeks ago where um it was like open class for preschool students, and I think in a class of say 20 students, nearly 15 of them were past students, bringing now their own children to dancing, like the next generation. And I was I just couldn't get over that all of um girls that either I taught or were my age-ish um at Bodies back in the day, they now all have children that are ready to start dancing, like of that age. Um, and you know, I would bend down to meet them and be like, hello, like my name's Miss Saskia. And did you know that your mummy and I used to dance together here when we were younger? Like, and I said that spiel like 15 times, and it was just like like such a surreal moment that now that is happening, like we've reached that generational cycle, yeah. Um, and not only that, just like the connections of um yeah, of that friendship that I was talking about before, like what's so so cool about our connection at bodies, and that like even I'm sure you now probably still feel a tie to the school and like a sense of even though you don't dance there anymore, but like you know, you came to our 25th party, and you would have seen photos of yourself like back in the day, and like and even me, you know, getting invited to past students' weddings and like birthdays and um celebrations and baby showers and stuff, like it's yeah, I think that's what is kind of the the best part of the job.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

I think that's such a testament to you, I mean, and and the community that you've built as well. So I think that's so wonderful. Yeah. On the flip side of that, just as much as it is social and a lot of fun, Bodies of Motion also gives you a platform where you can. Do exams and level up your skills and actually come out of them with qualifications. Yeah. Even while you're in school. Can you tell us more about what sort of exams you offer and maybe why you offer exams too?

SPEAKER_02 22:14

So we offer um two different sets of syllabus. So we teach um classes through the Southern Federation of Dance and also Australian Teachers of Dancing. And basically what that means is it's a national curriculum, and we teach from it that national curriculum to make sure that our kids are A, learning safe dance practices and B staying on par with the rest of the country, I guess. Just to have that benchmark to reach. So, like a student would, you know, regardless of which primary school they go to, I'm sure all grade five students would be learning the same maths and English topics, it's the same at dance. In jazz level five, you are learning to kick turn lead, like XYZ, for example. So, yeah, so we teach from a national curriculum, so we need to all make sure that our teachers, we all do professional development and conventions to make sure we're teaching the updated syllabus and the correct technique. And then in August, we have examiners fly up from down south and they come and stay for the weekend and they um see all of our students and they go into the room in groups of you know five or six students, and part of that process is learning the discipline, and it's such a traditional thing, you know. Some people might be like, Oh, it's so old school, but um, I think that I mean dance is old school, like ballet is you know hundreds and hundreds of years old. So to kind of have while dance is very modern and fun, like we definitely want to pay kind of homage to that tradition. Um, and you know, the the girls who do ballet exams do you know, wear the tights, the bun, the whole thing. You run in, you say good morning, Miss, whatever. Yeah, you do your exam and you learn etiquette and discipline and all the things, um, and then you get graded just like you would a math or English test, and it you can kind of see where you sit on a national level essentially.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

I think being being in it and um being examined can be quite daunting, but once you're out of it, it is so rewarding. And even as an adult now, and you know, I haven't done since the end of high school, I feel very proud that I, you know, I I I could go to my you know box of awards or whatever, and find, oh yeah, I did up to level eight or whatever in hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, whatever it may be, um, and feel very proud that not only did I go to a dance school that I had so much fun and I made so many friends, but I also got something tangible out of it too. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

And that's always been a big goal of mine is to balance that um discipline and tradition, like I was talking about, but also the fun and the friendship and the social skills. Um and I think that's the perfect balance. So generally, our calendar year at dance, the first half of the year we're working towards um dance exams and our mid-year fundraiser, and then the second of the second half of the year we work towards our end-of-year production, which is the big fun cherry on top after you've worked so hard all year. Um, so yeah, no, exams, exams are great, and we definitely um yeah, uh big, big believers in dance exams and all the benefits because, like you said, it's so um it's so rewarding to come out and be like, I did that, and I worked for six months towards something. Yeah, I set myself a goal and I achieved it, and then you know, they they get their little certificate and their medal and their trophy, and it's like a something, a really, really great goal to work towards.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

And I think then you can also apply those skills to just um other aspects of your life as well. Like I remember being that age and really feeling like, okay, cool, I'm working really hard, I'm really good at this. Okay, I can apply these same skills and I'll be really good at school as well. Yeah, for sure. Really good at whatever else I was trying to set my mind to. So I think it's really great for yeah, developing kids, not just girls, but you know, any kids that are trying to do it for school.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Yeah, and it's actually great nowadays with all this remote learning. We've actually had quite a few students go on to do their um teaching certificate remotely as well online. Cool. So a lot of our a year 11 and 12 students, I think we've yeah, we've had five students now. A couple are still currently um training, and they are learning um, they're studying a certificate for in dance teaching and management. Oh real. Yeah, so they'll have theory components that they do online and then practical assessments with me that I'll film or supervise and then give feedback on and then send it off to the board to get, I guess, ticked off on those units.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

You've also got quite a few students that have gone on to study dance full-time as well. How many do you know how many off the top of your head you've got studying currently or um I think we've got five currently enrolled in full-time training.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Yeah. Yeah, at like this year, which is great. We've got two girls at Brent Street, which is based in Sydney, and then we've got three girls in Dance Force, which is in the Gold Coast.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Cool. Yeah, and of course, there's been many others in previous years. Yeah, yeah. Um, I know Angela as an example. She's just gone to do international work as well.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Yeah, she just toured with Beauty and the Beast, the musical, um, and did their Perth season and then Singapore, which was amazing. So cool. Um, yeah, very so proud of her. She's absolutely smashing it. And yeah, now she's just returned back from Singapore and is on the audition circuit again trying to snag that next musical contract, which I'm sure won't be very far away. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

But it's it's awesome to show the kids that are, you know, maybe at a teenage level now that there are careers in in this industry as well. It's not just, I mean, there's so many different avenues you can take with performing, and yeah, it's really cool to see that being um for sure.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

And you know, for someone who like, for example, for me growing up in a small town where dance wasn't considered a sport or a career or it wasn't legitimate, I guess. It was just a fun hobby.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Inverticommas. Um but like I yeah, it was hard to to think like to have someone prior to or like before me to be like, oh, that's what I can do. Yes. But now it's so amazing to have had so many past bodies girls go on to tertiary education in dance, or even if they didn't end up taking that certificate or whatever they obtained and becoming a performer, they've used it in different avenues in other careers. Um, and it's yeah, it's great now that you know, in the newsletter, like I can take photos of these girls and be like, look, like this is what you know, just because you're from a small town at the top of Australia doesn't mean that you can't go down there. If this is what you really want to do, it is attainable with the right mindset and work ethic and you know dedication 100%. Like, don't think just because I'm from Mossman, you know, like that doesn't that um that thought process like doesn't really happen anymore. Yeah, like no, if you want to go and train at one of the best schools in Australia, let's make it happen, like kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Oh, that makes me so proud to watch too, because as you said, like I still feel that pull to bodies like because you know, I see your social media and I get to watch, I've I've formed this friendship with seeing my students, like even though I was only an assistant teacher, I didn't, you know, I didn't study like some of the other girls, but um seeing some of those girls, I used to teach some of them at four years old or something, and now they're I know I saw them at the the reunion and just some of them I didn't even recognise, they've just all grown up, and they're these beautiful, incredible, confident people, and I'm so I feel so like proud from a distance.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

I know, yeah, a hundred percent. I can totally relate to what you're feeling, and it's yeah, it's such a such a cool thing.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Um, I also wanted to mention something that has changed a bit over the years is um you know, when I went there, we used to do our concerts at the Sheridan, but now you've progressed to an even larger venue in Cairns. Can you tell us more about yeah?

SPEAKER_02 30:22

So we for the last three years we've um staged our productions down at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre, yeah. Um, which has just been incredible. Like I cannot even put into words how amazing that facility is. Coming from well, yeah, back when Prue was um running the school, we literally staged it in the Mossmanshire Hall. Yes. Um, and those concerts were, you know, like gonna throw it back here, but you know, so hot, wet season, December. Yes. It would only seat 400 people. The stage was like tiny. There were no dressing rooms. We had to like corner off that side room with the black we had to with the black plastic and marquees outside on the grass. I remember that too. Yep. Um, and you know, people would like be fainting from heat exhaustion and we'd have to stop while the cane train went past because it was too loud, like talk about small sugar cane towns things. Iconic bossmen, but it makes it all the more sweet to like oh look how far we've come. Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, from there then we went to um the Sheraton Mirage in their convention in the Glade, and I think that would have been 2008 was our first year there. Um and yeah, we were there till 2022 was our last year. Um, and yeah, we were kind of struggling at the Sheridan. Obviously, it's an ex everything had to be externally hired because that venue there is just a shell. So while it served its purpose for us and it was great and it was you know big enough and and whatnot, we still faced a lot of challenges. We had to externally hire a stage, um, you know, uh a cherry picker and everything for the lighting and like the insurances, um, external dressing rooms. Um yeah, the list goes on. It was it was it was a lot. Um, but obviously having the concert at a purpose-built theatre, state of the art, um it's just insane. Yeah, um, yeah, so we absolutely love it at CPAC, the team there are amazing. Um, and yeah, we yeah, we just the feedback, you know, I was a little bit nervous at first announcing to my families like we're taking the show out of the the Shire and you're gonna have to drive an hour to to the show. Um but from you know what I can what I've heard like the feedback is actually a lot of parents make a little staycade out of it, book a book a haroom overnight for the dress rehearsal and the show, and the vibe, you know, there everyone's so excited and it's this big, big, exciting thing, and it really makes it a huge moment and a big weekend. Um, and just for those kids to be able to dance on that in that multi-million dollar theatre, like absolutely, especially like we were I don't forget who I was talking about it to the other day, but we were like they don't know how good they've got it, like for like someone like you who's danced at the Shy Hall in Sheridan, like you've you've been through it, you know, the rough patch. Um, and then these kids who maybe have only just enrolled in the last few years, like the younger ones, and that's all they know is CPAC, and I'm like, you have no idea where we came.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

Like, this is an honor. I know. I'm like, I'm constantly reminding the kids, I'm like, be thankful that we are here, absolutely. Um, but it also, you know, I guess gives them a taste into performing in cities, you know, for the Dad South and stuff as well. Um, I went to the show last year, I sat in the audience and cried from the beginning to the end, and I'm not exaggerating about that. Evie Cotton can back me up. Um I genuinely cried through every single choreography. I don't know what came over me. I just had this intense, overwhelmed feeling of joy for you, and so proud of you and and how everyone, you know, just functions together, and I I know firsthand how much effort goes into a show and getting everyone there, not only physically on the day, but the whole year that you have spent, you know, prepping for it. Um, yeah, it was just the quality of that show. I mean, of all of them, but last year in particular was just like wow, seeing you guys just grow so much in like everyone was just so professional, even from the little kids, like they were just so onto it, and the storytelling and the seniors and the adults, like everyone just really gives it their all, and I just I mean it I my voice shakes talking about it because I just get so emotional about how incredible it is to pull it all together and have so many hundreds of people in the show, but then how many how many members of the community come to support you as well really makes me really proud too.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

And I think that brings it back to what we were talking about earlier, is that like everyone's invested. Yeah, like yes, like the parents do the drop-offs and the you know, they pay their fees and and whatever, but then you know they help out and they're you know bumping in, like you were saying, and um and everyone wants it to succeed, like everyone's got that common, that common interest of putting something together and like literally blood, sweat, and tears to build it, and then to see that final product, that's why it's like you have that overwhelming sense of pride, yeah. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Yeah, well, I just I love it. I get I've got goosebumps right now, and I just I yeah, I mean, obviously, yeah. So, on top of exams and these massive concerts and your mid-year show, you do have a lot of students that do a Steadford's, you know, uh in Teams as well as solos and duos. Can you tell us more about what's on the schedule this year?

SPEAKER_02 36:18

Yeah, it's pretty crazy. We have a big wall calendar in the office, and there's not many weekends free left looking at it. Um, so yeah, our competition team I think consists of about 60 children, and that's yeah, of some of them are soloists, and some of them are troop members, and some of them are both. So a lot of our soloists will learn their routines in January before regular dance starts, and then they'll work on it, you know, throughout consistently throughout term one. And our first competition normally hits around May. Yeah, and then from May to September, it's super busy. Um, and yeah, so both of our troops and our soloists we travel to Innesfale, Cairns, um, normally travel to Brisbane, um, which is one of our favourite comps of the year, and it's an international dance competition. So there's other students from um Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, different states of Australia, um, and that's definitely our favourite trip. We um we love making like a little mini holiday out of it.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

I didn't realise that was international.

SPEAKER_02 37:20

Yeah, yeah, an international dance awards, um, which is really cool because you get to know your competitors up here, obviously in the Stanford pool. You would know the other schools and the routines, and and kind of after the first comp, you can kind of obviously you compete the same routine again. Yep. So it's nice to mix it up and and compete against other studios and different styles and everyone's different like take on choreography. It's really cool. Yeah, so the International Dance Comp, um, yeah, it's not running this year, they're having an off-year because they're taking it to Singapore next year.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 37:53

So as soon as we got the email, all the kids are like, Miss Saskia, are we going to Singapore in 2027? And I was like, um, TBC. Wow. Let's just uh put that idea to the side for a second. But wouldn't that be incredible? I know, oh no. Some of them are like, no, but seriously, talk to your parents. It'll be a huge, huge cost and time and effort, but it would be amazing. Incredible. So watch the space. Yeah, we'll see. Little old Mossman takes Singapore and not sure. I'm not sure. We'll check next year.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Oh, that's unreal. I um I love doing Stanfords. I miss it. Um, my mate Ruby and I, we used to do duos, little hip hoppers. Um I need to find some swift footage of that. Um, yeah, we used to rock the baggy pants and the caps and the plaits and all of that, but yeah, some of my fondest memories are travelling and competing. Yeah. Um and then I mean I started off in Troop. That was probably my favourite hip-hop troop. Yeah. I think we're I think it was in the first Troop. Was it? Little Bodies was that the first one, yeah. Yeah, Little Bodies. I was 12 when I started Troop. Hip hop was my main don't get me to dance nowadays, I can't dance at all. Yes, you can no, and I need a few wines in me to dance. Um but yeah, if you want to Google Little Bodies 2012 block party, uh you'll find us on there. Um, me and I haven't watched that for so long. But yeah, no, it's just so wonderful to see a dance school that not only get allows you to perform locally, but you know, is giving the opportunities to go and compete. And I think learning to compete as well is such a good skill. Um, learning how not to be a sore loser.

SPEAKER_02 39:33

100%. That's something we preach a lot at bodies, and I think over the years, like well, because we did come from such humble beginnings, and we we did we have grown a lot. Um, so I guess you could say for most part of our journey, we have been the underdog, yeah. Like, oh, they're from Mossman kind of thing. So I think it's built us a thick skin, definitely, and um taught us resilience and how to be um humble and how to still show really great sportsmanship. Yes. Um, and what the best part actually is of our Steadford journey, like these last few years we've been lucky enough to be very successful. Um we've built our teams to a point now where we are quite competitive, which is is really nice, and it's always still so surprising when we come out, you know, with a place, um, with an award. Um, but yeah, just like never forget where you came from, kids, you know, like it's keep us grounded, keep us humble. But the best part is that there's actually other dance teachers or other parents from other studios who will make an effort to come to me like side stage or after a performance and be like, oh my god, your girls are so lovely, they're so kind, and they're you know, they're complimenting the other studios or congratulating them, like that kind of thing. So that's like above all else, that's what I'm preaching in the dressing room before we go interact with others.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

Yeah, with people that probably don't know much about dance and you know, see dance as you know, dance mums or reality TV shows.

SPEAKER_02 41:07

It's not a true representation.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

Absolutely, not at all. You know, there's so much drama that goes into those shows and stuff for people that don't know a real world of dance or maybe Australian dance, I don't know. But um there's yes, you're competitive in the same way you're playing, you know, soccer or footy or something, but at the end of the day, you you're mates with that that other dancer, and backstage you're you're having fun and you're playing clapping games and getting ready together and going, good luck, you know, definitely. So it is a really nice environment, and yeah, yeah, it's it's nice to have that healthy competition.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

100%. And dance competitions are subjective, so it's one judge and it's their opinion. Yeah. So it's not like football where you tally the amount of goals you score and it's the higher number wins. Yeah, it's a personal opinion. Yes. I mean, yes, there are to a degree, some comps do have scorecards and you get judged on technique, performance, costume, musicality, whatever the criteria may be. But generally it comes down to one person, it's it's subjective. So you have to be good at taking something on the chin, even though if you feel like you deserve to have placed or that you did a really great job. You need to be happy enough with you know, first and foremost, were you happy with your performance? Did it did you give it your best shot? Was there anything else you could have done out on that stage? No, then boom, that's it. Pat on the back for you, that's the win.

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 42:35

Or the win is someone making an effort that you have no idea coming and finding you after a performance and being gone, oh my god, that was amazing. Like that performance, that routine, that music, whatever it is, you guys were phenomenal. And we didn't place, then that's fine.

SPEAKER_01 42:50

That's so fun, so fine. And I I do think those compliments mean the world so much more than a plastic trophy. Yeah. So much more. Definitely. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I love it. I miss it. I really do miss it. Um, I'd be hopeless nowadays, but I I do miss it, and I love watching the next generation come through. It's really wonderful to see. I would love to wrap up with a piece of advice from you, um, whether it be about starting a business at a young age or maybe for someone who's looking to get into into dancing. Um, do you have a piece of advice that you maybe live by or something that you tell others often? You put me on spot.

SPEAKER_02 43:29

I think something I'm still working on myself is trusting your gut and intuition. Um, I think a few um, you know, as a business owner, there's been a few times in my journey that I look back on. Not that I regret anything, but I wish I'd followed my gut a little bit more with certain instances and probably would have come out as a better um outcome. So, yeah, whether that be starting a business or pursuing a career. And whatever that may be, whether it dance or something else, 100%. Follow your gut. Yeah. Trust your gut. Because generally it's right. And yeah, with the right amount of dedication, passion, all the rest, all those ingredients, yeah, you can 100% do whatever you want to do.

SPEAKER_01 44:17

That is really wonderful advice. For someone who might be looking for you or bodies, where should you send them?

SPEAKER_02 44:24

Our Instagram is at Bim Dance School. We're also on Facebook. And our website is all the Ws, bodiesinmotion.net.au. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

And are you taking enrollments still for this year?

SPEAKER_02 44:37

Yeah, we're closing soon. Okay. So we've we're four weeks, four or five weeks into the year. And so we are we're gonna um shut off enrolments soon. So if you want to try dance, now's your time. Yeah. Um come and reach out and we'll um hook you up with some information. Yeah, absolutely. All right, but thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you for having me, and I just want to say I'm so proud of you joining all your like passions together and now incorporating like your little your film aspect of your passion as well into everything. It's been yeah, so great to watch you flourish and grow. No, but seriously, you're doing amazing things.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Thank you. But I do always say, like, it I always put it back on you. Like it's thanks to Sasuke, she drilled the confidence into me. Maybe a little bit too much sometimes. I'm glad that's what we want. Yes, yeah, for sure, for sure. All right, well, thank you so much, everybody. We will be in your ears very soon. Um, but yeah, if you want to start dancing, please go and head over to Bodies in Motion um uh very, very soon because they're gonna wrap up enrolment soon. Um, and have a wonderful, wonderful day. We will see you all soon. Bye.