That's a wrap!

Thank You, TCDA Family on an Outstanding 2025!

What an absolutely phenomenal year we've shared together! As we reflect on everything our TCDA family accomplished in 2025, we're overwhelmed with gratitude and pride. To every dancer who showed up with commitment and heart, to every parent who supported the journey, to our incredible teaching team who poured their passion into every class—thank you.

This year reinforced why we say "dance is the vehicle, but life is the lesson." Through every performance, workshop, competition, and community event, you've grown not just as dancers but as confident, compassionate, resilient young people. Let's celebrate this remarkable year together!

Term One: Starting Strong

Our Amazing Teaching Team

The year began with our entire team gathering to ensure we remained the benchmark for dance education. Our commitment to excellence showed in our professional development—all teachers completed First Aid training, while Miss Jaydah and Miss Leyna achieved their Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management. Miss Jaydah also added Acrobatic Arts Module 1 and advanced aerial certifications to her already impressive credentials. TCDA manager Paulie also upskilled by completing his Cert 4 in Training and Assessment this year. Your teachers and mentors are constantly growing so they can give you their absolute best!

Amber Lawrence Collaboration

What a thrill to continue our partnership with Amber Lawrence! Miss Jaydah and Miss Lily performed at her sold-out "Amber Sings Tay Tay" show, and Miss Lily choreographed the music video for "Comeback Queens" with our Troupe members. Seeing our dancers on a professional marketing campaign was incredible—you were absolute professionals throughout!

Tamworth Country Music Festival

Seven days of daily street performances! Your energy, professionalism, and joy throughout the festival made us so proud. The way you showed up day after day, maintaining excellence and enthusiasm in the heat and crowds—that's the TCDA spirit we love to see.

Gold Ballet Milestone

Congratulations to Ava, Anna, Stella, Luca, Paris, Evelyn, and Lillian who traveled to Bloch in Newcastle to be fitted for their first pointe shoes! This milestone represents years of dedication and proper technique development. We're so proud of your journey!

New Troupes Selected

Our 2025 Mini, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Show Troupes were selected, and what talented groups you are! From your very first rehearsal, we could see the commitment and camaraderie that would define this year. Every single one of you rose to the challenge of our "no one hides" philosophy—collective excellence at its finest.

Holiday Workshops

Thank you to everyone who joined our Holiday Workshops and to those who came back to learn from Miss Ady's advanced aerial workshops! Your enthusiasm for trying new styles and pushing your boundaries sets the tone for the entire year.

Term Two: Growing Together

The Australian Ballet Residency

What an honour to host The Australian Ballet as their rehearsal space! Watching you absorb every moment—from rehearsal observations to professional workshops to the stage rehearsal and final performance—was magical. You witnessed world-class excellence and understood that the path to artistry is paved with discipline, refinement, and joy.

Mums Ballet Week

The laughter, the memories, the shared experiences—Mums Ballet Week was pure joy! Thank you to all the mums who stepped into the studio and experienced what your dancers do every week.

Community Outreach

To our dancers who participated in outreach programs at Growing Minds, Kootingal, Westdale PS, and our full-year Bullimbal partnership—you shared your love of dance with younger students while developing leadership and teaching skills. Your patience and enthusiasm made a real difference!

Great Nundle Dog Race

What a fun day at the Dog Race! Your performances brought smiles to hundreds of faces, and Miss Kellie and Miss Lily enjoyed judging Fashions on the Field and the Doggy Dance Off. Community events like this remind us that dance brings joy far beyond the competition stage and we are proud to sponsor events such as these.

Facility Transformations

Behind the scenes, amazing things were happening! Phil Sleiman's beautiful new walls with large windows, removing the roller doors, installing another sprung floor, and opening Studio 4 with our new equipment shed—these improvements create the professional training environment you deserve. And welcoming Miss Mia and Miss Bridie to our teaching team expanded our capacity to serve you even better!

Competition Season Begins

Inverell, Coffs, Armidale—you brought your absolute best to every stage! That clean sweep at Armidale? Chef's kiss! But more than the trophies, we're proud of how you supported each other, accepted feedback gracefully, and maintained perspective through wins and losses alike.

NSWRL Magic Round

Senior Troupe, your performance at Scully Park was outstanding! Eleven games over three days, front row seats to all the action, and the NRL organisers couldn't stop praising your professionalism. You showed exactly why organisations trust TCDA to deliver excellence.

North Tamworth Bears Ladies Day

Continuing our partnership since 2011 and organised by dance mum extraordinaire Nicole Ball and TCDA Troupe alum Bree Poetscha! Senior Troupe, you brought energy and entertainment to Ladies Day, honouring this longstanding relationship with pride.

Miss Kellie's Milestone

Happy 50th birthday to our fearless leader Miss Kellie! Your vision, dedication, and heart make TCDA the special place it is. We're so grateful for everything you do!

Mid-Year Competition & Showcase

Record-breaking entries—the highest numbers ever in both Competition and Championships! Congratulations to our Champions: Ciana Mann (Senior), Chelsea Ryan (Intermediate), and Eliza Hynes (Junior). But every single performer who stepped on that stage—from our tiny 3-year-olds to our advanced seniors—made us proud. And special shoutout to our Siblings performers who danced together just for the joy of it! Enormous thanks to the many local businesses that supported us to make this event such a success!

Term Three: Artistry and Achievement

Dan Goes Red and Black

What a heartwarming fundraiser! Dan Saunders from TMFM95.5 sporting TCDA red and black hair for a week raised awareness and funds for local breast cancer patients. Thank you to Jaye from Design Hair Studio for the transformation, and to everyone who supported this important cause.

Dads Ballet Week

The dads who braved ballet class—you were brilliant! These special weeks create memories that last forever and show our dancers that their whole family values what they do.

Port Macquarie Eisteddfod

Senior Troupe's first time at Port Mac, and you came home with the Overall Opens Showmanship Award for the Meg Atwell choreographed "Hi Ren" plus second place in Hip Hop! Taking your artistry to new venues and succeeding immediately—that's the TCDA standard right there.

Stars of Tamworth Dance For Cancer

Our 11th year partnering with Cancer Council NSW! The "Casino Royale" theme was spectacular, with TCDA parents Ray Aslin and Blake Saban partnering with our dancers in Miss Lily and Miss Kellie's choreography. Ray won Highest Fundraiser, while Casey Lee Reynolds and Malachi Schofield took the People's Choice Award. Grace Cooper and Sarah Vermeulen earned the judges' choice. But the real winners? Everyone in our community facing cancer who benefited from this incredible night.

Thank you to Sally-Anne Whitten for her tireless organization and to our judges Ben Sutton, Kylie Newton, and Fiona McKnight. This event showcases the very best of our community spirit.

Exam Excellence

When Ms. Simone Dawson returned to examine TCDA (having last been here in 2016 at our old Belmore Street studio), her observation that she was "thrilled to see just how much we have grown" meant everything. And you proved it!

165 examinations with 100% pass rate and 52% achieving Honours and above! Special congratulations to our Honours with Distinction recipients: Bridie Yeo (Elementary Jazz), Lucy McKnight (Gold Medal Jazz), Airlee Syron (Silver Star Jazz), and Lillian Stass (Gold Medal Tap).

Your dedication to exam preparation, your focus during lessons, your willingness to receive and apply feedback—this is how excellence is built!

Term Four: Celebrating Together

Halloween Week

Costumes all week culminating in our annual Halloween Sleepover—these traditions create the "home" feeling you told us defines TCDA. The laughter, the friendships, the memories—this is what community looks like!

Community Joy

From our car park costume sale to dancing at McHappy Day, performing in the Tamworth Shoppingworld Christmas Parade, and choreographing Bullimbal School's CAPERS performance with our Oxley High dancers mentoring—you brought joy throughout Tamworth! Every performance reminded our community that TCDA dancers are talented, professional, and generous with their gifts.

TCDA Footy Tipping

Congratulations to our footy tipping champion! These fun traditions build connections between families and remind us we're more than just a dance studio—we're a community.

"Home" at TRECC

And then came "Home"—our spectacular culmination! Over 1,000 people witnessed your artistry across 28 items spanning Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Acro, and Aerials. The breathtaking aerial work on three silks and two lyra hoops, the seamless transitions, the way every single performer mattered equally made this TCDA at our finest.

Rob Thorne's lighting design elevated everything to professional theatrical standards, creating separate worlds on stage and supporting our innovative transition system beautifully.

From our Tinys dancing around that enormous ruby slipper to our Senior aerialists defying gravity, every moment reflected the theme that emerged from your own words about what TCDA means: home.

The standing ovations, the tears, the joy—you created something truly special. Miss Kellie, Miss Lily, Miss Jaydah, and Danielle poured their hearts into the choreography, and you brought their vision to life with passion and precision.

Presentation Day

We celebrated exam results, honoured departing students Max and Leyna as they move on to performing arts high school and pre-professional training (we're so proud and will miss you!), and presented our major awards for School Spirit, Most Improved, and Studio Champion.

These moments of recognition matter because they celebrate not just achievement but effort, growth, and the journey you've all taken together.

Thank You, TCDA Family!

As we close the chapter on 2025, our hearts are full of gratitude.

To our dancers: Thank you for your dedication, your willingness to try new things, your support for each other, and your commitment to excellence. Watching you grow—not just as dancers but as remarkable young people—is the greatest privilege of our work.

To our families: Thank you for entrusting us with your children, for supporting their journey through early morning rehearsals and late-night costume prep, for cheering at competitions and community events, and for being true partners in this amazing community. As Miss Kellie said, "My biggest thank you goes to all of our parents who entrust their dancers, their children, with us every year—to take the journey, learn the lessons, and have a whole bunch of fun!"

To our teaching team: Miss Kellie, Miss Lily, Miss Jaydah, Danielle, Miss Dee, Miss Mia, Miss Bridie, Miss Leyna, and all our junior teachers and teaching assistants—your passion, professionalism, and genuine care for every student create the magic that is TCDA. Thank you for continuing to grow, for giving everything to your classes, and for modelling what lifelong learning looks like.

Thank you to our receptionist Miss Ley Ley, all our community partners, and everyone who supports TCDA behind the scenes. It truly takes a village!

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we prepare for another incredible year, we're filled with excitement for what's ahead. New challenges, new opportunities, new memories to create together. We'll continue to push boundaries, support each other, serve our community, and create moments of beauty and excellence.

Miss Lily captured it perfectly: "The staff, students, and I have been working tirelessly all year to put together this phenomenal concert. We can't wait for you to see it, so sit back and enjoy the results of our collective efforts!"

That phrase—"our collective efforts"—is what makes TCDA special. We succeed because we work together, support each other, and share a commitment to being excellent humans who happen to dance beautifully.

This is TCDA. This is our family. This is home.

Here's to 2025—what an incredible journey we've shared! And here's to 2026—we can't wait to see what we'll achieve together!

With gratitude and excitement,

The TCDA Team

DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, YOU GOT THIS!

Tamworth City Dance Academy: Elevate your dance experience.

www.tamworthcitydance.com.au | kellie@tamworthcitydance.com.au