Centenary Dance Academy was established in 1999 and is a merge of jazz and tap tuition with the Inara Svalbe School of Ballet, established 1968. Centenary Dance Academy offers tuition in Royal Academy of Dance ballet, jazz, tap and a pre-school creative movement class, including eisteddfodd groups in jazz and tap. In addition adult beginner classes are held in the ballet and tap disciplines. For more information on this tuition please see classes.
Students from all areas of the Academy have the chance to perform in a professional theatre at the annual recital. Students furthermore have the opportunity to progress through the RAD graded and vocational graded exams, and upon request tap and jazz ISTD exams. In the higher levels of jazz and tap students are able to work towards joining the eistedfodd groups where they can gain further performance experience.
The Academy has produced many successful dancers. These include Suzanne McNaughton who studied at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence and the Australian Ballet School before continuing on to the Queensland Ballet Professional Year and dancing in Moulin Rouge; Simmone Smiles who continued on to study at the National Theatre Ballet School, Australian Ballet School and The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, as well as dancing in the Australian Youth Ballet and performing in both Melbourne and Sydney. Currently, Centenary Dance Academy student Robert McDowall is a member of the Queensland Youth Ballet.
Centenary Dance Academy occasionally hosts guest teachers, many of whom are past students who have continued on to work in professional dance companies across the globe. Such guest teachers include Nadia ---, Suzanne McNaughton and --- Thompson. In order to gain a greater appreciation of different teaching styles students are encouraged to participate in master classes and workshops put on by various dance organisations and companies.
Centenary Dance Academy is located in Brisbane's western suburbs with spacious studios at Middle Park and Oxley. The school director, Miss Inara Svalbe OBE, may be contacted on (07) 3378 3436 or via email at rainbowbright_au@hotmail.com