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Aged four, Kay Dean took to the stage for her first dancing concert.
In the 74 years since, the Ann Marree Dancers founder has helped thousands of students find their feet by sharing her passion.
Her services to youth and the performing arts led her to become one of six inaugural Bendigo Women’s Community Achievement Awards, to be presented at a high tea at Bendigo Stadium on Saturday.
“I do it because I love what I am doing,” Mrs Dean said.
Family has inspired her journey.
Mrs Dean’s mother was trained in classical ballet, and motherhood was what inspired Mrs Dean to open her dance studio.
“One of my [two] daughters was born with a hip problem and one of the doctors said the best thing for her to do was dance,” she said.
That daughter is following in her mother’s footsteps by teaching at Ann Marree Dancers.
Mrs Dean said members of the dance school were also akin to family. She now teaches second and third generation dance students, and has a network of students teaching and dancing throughout Australia.
“It’s lovely to see them grow,” she said.
The costs of being involved in a dance school – paying for tuition, costumes and competitions – can be prohibitive for some aspiring students.
Mrs Dean said she had supported students who could not afford to partake otherwise to be part of the school.
“People are struggling need to be able to do what they love too,” she said.
“I think everybody deserves to be able to dance.”
There have been students who have, for one reason or another, needed assistance to get to and from dancing school and competitions or needed a place to stay. Mrs Dean has been there for them.
She said she had seen dance improve young people’s lives, bringing them confidence, positivity, and friendships.
“They often get more than just dancing out of it,” Mrs Dean said.
She has been making the dancers’ costumes since the school started, a tradition she continues with the help of some friends.
Ann Marree Dancers has won many awards throughout the years for aggregates and championships.
“We won the concert item at Royal South Street three years in a row, which is the top echelon of dance in regional Australia,” Mrs Dean said.
She is looking forward to the award presentations at Bendigo Ladies Day Out, an event supporting the Annie North Women’s Crisis Refuge Centre.
Tickets are $75 and are available from Bendigo Stadium by calling 5440 6200.