come celebrate the performing arts
Our Philosophy
Why we do what we do?
Little humans inspire us and for us children, dance and music go hand in hand. "
Inside everyone is a dancer" ... to breath is to move. The worldwide appeal of dance and music is universal and breaks all boundaries; age, race, religion and even language. We learn so much from our young students; we love their honesty and their approach to life. Their spontaneity and how they love to dance, sing & perform, without a care in the world ... we encourage and celebrate that sense of freedom of expression everyday, we can all learn from them! Children can be both supportive and in-turn brutally honest; they tell you if they love something or if they don't, it is these up-front students that spark the creative passions here at cārnivalé.
FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Cārnivalé is the culmination of my love affair with the performing arts and I am proud to say has the ideal mix of both education and passion.
"When natural talent, great art and great music are combined with great movement, it can open up your soul: this amalgamation can instantly change your mood; it can inspire, ignite and even challenge you, it can make you remember, forget, smile, laugh and even cry. This phenomenon is why the creative and performing arts are so powerful and is why they have been a lifelong passion of mine. We have created an environment where passing on the traditions of the past, from generation to generation is the key: we honour and maintain the great traditions of art and dance; then mix them with the most influential choreographic and musical theatre styles of the past, we utilise proven teaching methods and combine them with the most new, innovative and most up-to-date training tools that are at our disposal in this amazing technological era, culminating in the most eclectic and inspiring teaching programs available".
Great technique frees you to be the best performer you can be; so the core of my teaching philosophy is quality technical training and syllabus. I believe they are the backbone of any artform, of a performer in any genre of dance and any style of voice training and music; having great technique then allows you to enjoy a freedom of spirit, limitless creativity and the sense of improvisation that turns you from a good performer into a great performer with that something “special”. Combine a dancer, singer or any other creative artist with great technique AND an untamed passion then you will presented with something that is truly amazing, whether it be on stage or in the studio, that will repeatedly be unique, thrilling, vital and contemporary for both him/her and the listening or viewing audience.
I have incorporated into our teaching syllabus an appreciation of the physical movements of a performer’s body as well as their emotional wellbeing. Unfortunately in our industry our self esteem is often targeted, our body image can be distorted and our physical bodies can be pushed to their limits in order to achieve the elite performance level we ultimately strive for. I have had a lot of personal experience with all of these issues, and it was during repeated rehabilataion after injuries that I developed a deeper understanding of a dancer’s body and a inturn ignited a keen interest in the wellbeing of the performer as a whole; spirit, body and mind.
My goal, whether it be as teacher, coach or mentor, is to educate and nurture each student's and follow teacher's individuality as a performer, igniting that spark! I encourage my students and team of teaching professionals to challenge themselves everyday and "when you walk into the studios, leave behind anything negative, it is a sacred space where creative dreams can be realised. We all need to feel at the end of each lesson there no regrets, if we can all do this as a team it allows brilliance to shine through". Performers need to WANT to give everything they have to their craft; their focus, their willingness to learn, commitment, energy and their respect for their chosen field.