Hey there! Thanks for visiting my website. I'm a dance professional and freelance journalist lucky enough to be able to pursue my two passions as professional careers. 'Strange combination' some might think - and I guess it is so a little bit about how I got here...

I grew up in a dance studio - our family business - studying styles as diverse as classical ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, musical theatre and contemporary under the direction of teachers including Bernadette Langshaw-Clark and Karen Johnson-Mortimer. I was accepted to a performing arts high school, competed in eisteddfods and performed on several overseas dance tours. But when the time came to choose a career, I decided to head off to university to study journalism and communications.

I started work at Australia's largest media organisation when I was just 17 while still at university and, after getting my Bachelor of Arts degree, was awarded a journalism cadetship and, in turn, a position on the features team of The Daily Telegraph. Eventually I was able to combine my two passions and became the newspaper's dance writer and reviewer.
There I stayed until the glossy world of women's magazines tempted me to jump ship. I joined New Idea firstly as online editor to launch their first ever website but quickly after I was thrust into a world of lip gloss, hair tips and, more importantly, the real business of magazines (the advertisers!) as Beauty Editor.

A promotion to Lifestyle Editor came soon after and then a move back to the world of online as Managing Editor of beauty industry bible beautydirectory.com.au.

But the pull of those pointe shoe ribbons was proving too strong and, in November 2010 after 15 years in the media industry, I decided to 'go freelance' and head back to the studio to get qualified as a dance teacher in all styles.

Ever since I've been lucky enough to manage these two seemingly very different careers simultaneously. I write from home for a variety of clients and businesses during the days and then, in the afternoons head off the studio to teach students of all ages.

In 2018 I launched my own dance school, CJS Dance Academy in Brisbane's western suburbs. We offer classes in classical ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, acrobatics and musical theatre as well as extra performance opportunities for our Eisteddfod Team and Extension Program students. You can find out more about CJS Dance Academy here.

I hold two Associate Diploma qualifications with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and I'm also a graduate of the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS) with the Royal Academy of Dance. Since 2017 I've also been a member of the Queensland Regional Advisory Panel for the Royal Academy of Dance.

I'm currently studying by Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40116) and Diploma in Dance Teaching and Management (CUA50313).
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