About Us
Our School
Kew School of Dance is also known as KSOD and has been teaching and inspiring generations of dancers for more than 40 years.
Our motto is to learn through dance (cognita per chorum). Irrespective of whether our students aspire to be recreational dancers or to pursue a professional career in the industry, we strive to teach not only artistry and technique but also confidence, leadership and grace through performance and community involvement.
Kew School of Dance is part of 1thekids Education, which offers students a range of classes about martial arts and performing arts. Within 1thekids Education, we have Dream Army Taekwondo, Rollie Pollie Interactive Playschool, Casting Kids Drama and Model School.
At 1thekids Education, students are number 1 and we focus on helping each student to find their own talents and passions and to create a stage for them to present the best version of themselves.
We are also part of a larger network of creative organisations across different yet complementing industries. This includes photography, marketing and modelling. For those families who want to develop their children’s skills commercially or professionally, our school is unique in that under our larger school community we also have a kids modeling agency with children who work on TV commercials, TV series, feature films, voice overs, catalogue and billboard modeling.
Our Principles
At Kew School of Dance we take a holistic approach to the teaching of dance. All movement is age appropriate and consideration is given to the physical, cognitive emotional and social development of students at each level. Work is progressive in nature and a lot of time and effort is put into curriculum development.
A comprehensive range of skills are developed over time to assist students master the dance technique of their choice. We understand that specialised dance technique cannot be introduced until students have mastered a strong foundation of general movement skills and a strong mind body connection.
Our aim is to help our dancers reach their potential in a safe and caring environment. We have a strong community presence and commitment to providing a professional, holistic and comprehensive dance education experience in a family friendly environment. We seek to create an inclusive dance community and offer classes catering to children as young as 18 months right through to adults.
Our Team
We have a dedicated team of instructors, creative and administrative staff who are passionate and dedicated to the school.
Artistic Director
The artistic direction of the school is led by Miss Julia Panetta who teachers the Australian Teachers of Dancing system (ATOD) syllabus for Jazz and Tap and has been teaching at Kew School of Dance for more than about 10 years. Miss Julia has also taken part in numerous concerts and performances and inspires students with her creativity and joyful personality.
Instructors
Our instructors come from range of backgrounds from professional dances who are currently active in the industry to students who started dance with Kew School of Dance since kinder and have subsequently progressed through the school syllabus and adopted teaching and leadership roles for the next generations.
Introducing - Senani Gunatilleke
Hi everyone! My name is Senani Gunatilleke and I am a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. I started ballet at the age of 3 and am proud to now be passing on my skills down as a teacher of Classical Ballet. My experience of teaching ballet spans over 8 years to date both in my home country Sri Lanka and now in Australia too. I look forward to working with the students of Kew School of Dance eagerly and hope to work towards helping students achieve the best of their abilities during the course of the year!
Senani Gunatilleke
Teacher
Introducing - Harleigh-Rose Byrne
Harleigh-Rose Byrne is a professional dancer and dance teacher in Melbourne. With over 8 years in the industry, Harleigh-Rose hopes to motivate and inspire young dancers to achieve their goals and be the dancer they’ve always wanted to be.
Harleigh-Rose has gained her Certificate III and IV in Fitness and Certificate IV in Dance and is ready to share all her knowledge with you. Her career highlights include performing for the NRL’s Melbourne storm street crew, The Robbie Williams Experience, The AFL footy show My room telethon, the NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix Flames and so much more.
Harleigh-Rose also owns her very own Entertainment business where she and her dancers perform at various corporate events around Melbourne. She is so excited to share her knowledge and meet some fresh new faces!
Harleigh-Rose Byrne
Teacher
Introducing - Bronte
I have been dancing since I was 2 years old in my hometown of Canberra where I studied as a part time ballet student. When I was 14 I began assistant teaching before taking my own classes at age 16. When I was 18 I moved to Melbourne to pursue performing arts and I recently have completed my diploma after graduating from Transit Dance. I have been trained in a wide variety of styles and absolutely adore getting to form strong connections with my students and creating a happy, healthy learning space.
Bronte Wright
Teacher
Introducing - Sarah
I have been dancing since I was three years old and have been with Kew School of Dance since 2011, and since have studied ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop. I began my teaching journey in 2016 as an assistant teacher helping with the younger jazz and tap classes then in later years, I began assisting in ballet classes as well. The experience brought me joy being able to see the young dancers improve doing something they enjoyed and seeing them light up with excitement as the class began. The experience as an assistant teacher allowed me to understand what it took to be a teacher and I realised that it was something I wanted to do growing up and getting older in the school. I began as a kinder and primary ballet teacher in 2022 and have loved every moment of it.
I have also had various roles within the school assisting with the end of year performances, helping as an assistant stage manager in 2018 as part of the student production team and further stage managing performances in the years since.
I love being able to express myself through dance and I hope that anyone who joins Kew School of Dance will have the same incredible experience at the school as I have, creating so many amazing memories and friendships.
Sarah Christopoulos
Teacher
Introducing - Lucie
I started my dancing journey at the age of 3 and have loved every second of it since. I was even a student at the previous dance school that eventually became Kew School of Dance in 2009. During my years here I have studied the styles of Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap and Musical Theatre. I have completed many exams in Ballet through the Laurel Martin Dance System and Jazz through the Australian Teachers of Dancing system. During my school years I also completed Certificates 1-3 in VET Dance, Certificates 1&2 in VCE dance and am completing certificate 4 in Dance Teaching and Management in the years 2023-24. I first started out assistant teaching at KSoD when I was in high school, helping lead the younger classes through exercises and concert dances. Then I was offered the job of teaching my own classes in 2020 and taught my first ever lesson on zoom. I have also been a part of KSoD’s Performance Extension Program that has given me opportunities to audition for lead roles in our concerts and our Production Team which gives an insight into what happens behind the scenes of our concerts. A fun fact about me is that I become really proud and excited for my students at concert time, seeing the outcome of what they have leant and achieved in their classes makes me and I hope them really happy!
Lucie Tingwell
Teacher
Introducing - Tess
I began dancing with the Kew School of Dance at the age of five. I have since been trained in many styles such as Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. During my earlier years, I successfully completed multiple A.T.O.D Jazz and Tap exams. I have performed in numerous concerts and events with the Kew School of Dance, whilst being cast as varying lead roles due to my involvement in the Performance Extension Program. These performance opportunities ultimately taught me the art of storytelling through movement. In 2018, I was fortunate enough to travel to Adelaide and be a part of Panpapanpalya, International Dance Congress. This was an incredible experience which allowed me to learn and work with choreographers and students from around the world. My passion towards dance education began in 2015 when I became an Assistant Dance Teacher with the Kew School of Dance. Throughout my years as an Assistant Teacher, I was able to further develop my sense of professionalism and communication skills. I find teaching the younger students to be a highly rewarding experience, as I am able to observe their progression and assist them in reaching their maximum capabilities. I am enthusiastic and excited to share my love for dance with the students, whilst hoping to inspire them for many years to come.
Tess Nayler
Teacher
Introducing - Annika
I began dancing when I was 2 years old, at Kew School of Dance. I continued in ballet training at various other schools but returned to KSOD in 2019. More recently I have began Hip Hop, Jazz, and Contemporary dance too! I have completed VCE Dance Units 1,2 and 3 which has fostered my passion for dance theory and choreography. I was an assistant ballet teacher for 5 years, and now I am fortunate enough to teach my own Kinder and Pre- Primary ballet classes! I feel so lucky to be able to pass down my love of ballet to the younger generations of KSOD!
Annika Eisenmajer
Teacher
Assistant Teachers
A number of our senior students assist in junior classes and demonstrate their technique and experience as well as to provide practical guidance to the younger students as a positive role model. Their commitment about learning and the school community enables strong relationships between students of different ages and fosters teamwork and good work ethic amongst peers.
Our Venue
Our instructors come from range of backgrounds from professional dances who are currently active in the industry to students who started dance with Kew School of Dance since kinder and have subsequently progressed through the school syllabus and adopted teaching and leadership roles for the next generations.