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Our mission:

We will nurture your passion for dance -
one step at a time!

Whether you’re pursuing a career in dance or simply wanting to express yourself through artistic holistic movement - our dedicated team understands what it takes to maximise your potential.

 

We understand the expectations and demands of classical ballet in the 21st century. We take the best elements from our predecessors, base our training on Russian methodology, and combine this with current industry knowledge to best suit the needs of Australian dancers today.

 

Reflecting an ever-changing artistic landscape, contemporary dance training is another component of our comprehensive programme.

 

Committed to quality and service, Melbourne Institute of Dance is your premier school of choice.

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Kalman Warhaft
Director
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Our Team

Our Team

Kalman Warhaft

Director
Kalman's lifetime dedication to dance allows him to direct Melbourne Institute of Dance, providing quality and service in dance education.
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Natalie Clarke

Teacher
Natalie is a dance instructor specialising in classical ballet, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the art form and giving back to the dance community.
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Chimene Steele-Prior

Teacher
Originally from Darkinjung Country, Chimene is a Naarm (Melbourne) based performer, teacher and choreographer. She studied at the New Zealand School of Dance (Diploma of Dance Performance) and at WAAPA as a member of LINK Dance Company (Bachelor of Performing Arts - DANCE). Her movement practice is concerned with the expressivity, nuance and capacity of the human body to hold, endure and transform.
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Hiroko Kaneko

Teacher
Hiroko is passionate about fostering joy for her students in a positive learning environment helping them develop the skills they need to reach their highest potential.
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Elisha Torres

Teacher
Melbourne Institute of Dance is thrilled to have Elisha join our teaching team. She began dancing at the age of five studying the Cecchetti Method under the tutelage of Ms Peta Byrne.
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Olivia Paine

Teacher
Originating from the NSW North Coast, Olivia started dancing with Karen Ireland Dance Centre, Lismore NSW.
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Lauren Slade

Teacher
From Johannesburg, South Africa, trained at the National School of the Arts and joined The State Theatre Ballet in 1996 before becoming a founding soloist of The South African Ballet Theatre (now Joburg Ballet) in 2001, where she performed and served as Ballet Mistress. After 22 years of distinguished service, she retired in 2023. She is continuing her passion through dance education.
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Sharnie Foot

Teacher
Sharnie's love for ballet radiates in her skilled teaching of our Tiny and Pre-Ballet students. Trained primarily in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus; she has completed Intermediate Foundation-level exams. She has also successfully competed in numerous competitions, including the Ballet Teacher’s Workshop and Royal South Street.
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Audra Tory

Teacher
Audra fell in love with dance at a young age. Having trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and Musical Theatre.
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Dr Linda Sastradipradja

Dance Educator
Linda Sastradipradja is an internationally renowned dance performer, researcher and educator whose work emphasises the centrality of the dancer to dance making, dance teaching and dance performance processes.
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Carolina Pais

Teacher
Carolina started dancing from a young age in Brazil. At 15, she took part in the Prix de Lausanne, where she accepted a scholarship to The Australian Ballet School.
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Annaliese Macdonald

Teacher
Annaliese danced professionally with The Australian Ballet and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She trained full-time at The Australian Ballet School and Victorian College of the Arts, graduating with a Graduate Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance).
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Ashley Ward

Teacher
Ashley found her passion for dance and ballet when she started at 4 years old. She has experience with both Vaganova and RAD methods and has completed her Advanced Foundation examination in 2018.
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Elena Sanina

Character Teacher
Elena is originally from Russia where she started to do character dancing and performed with various groups since 1992.
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Dr Jason Lam

Guest Teacher
Dr Jason Lam has over two decades of experience working in the performing arts space at an elite level. He was formerly a professional dancer with Sydney Dance Company, Tasdance, Opera Australia as well as performing as an independent artist before retiring and studying medicine.
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Testimonitals

Laihar

Thank you for your guidance and patience in all the dance classes as well as the rehearsals. The process was a memorable and wonderful learning experience for me... And I am sure everyone felt the same....

Syliva

High quality teaching is expected here however what impressed me the most was how Kalman leads the school through classes to production. He is always calm, respectful, professional and carries the school with ease even in the most stressful situations. The wonderful teachers in his team compliment his leadership and add great value with their fresh choreography. I am so happy we have chosen to learn the craft of dance at MIoD.

Bridie

We have both seen huge growth in our girls not only in their dance but personally too. It was so lovely seeing their genuine joy and love for dance on stage. Please pass on our thanks to all your staff for everything all of you do to bring out the best in our girls.

Mike

We all had a beautiful night at your Gala Show, thank you for all your hard work, as I was moved by seeing the dancers performing on the stage.

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