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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

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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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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Joëlle Vivienne Aeby

Teacher
From Fribourg, Switzerland,I have over 20 years of dance experience, specialising in ballet.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

Elisabeth

I cannot commend the MIoD team highly enough, since joining in 2017 I have found a place that is so much more than just a ballet school, the level of inclusiveness to see me for my whole identity as a woman with my trans experience has allowed me to be more free and more expressive in my dance. From the tailored curriculum to the mental support which has seen the development of my skills, challenging myself and being apart of something that is more than my identity, it is part of my ballet family.

Joy

Thank you for all that you are doing with the girls and our daughter is really enjoying classes. This is a testament to yours and the other teacher's wonderful instruction.

Tania

You have bought the gift of ballet into the lives of those like me who thought it impossible to express emotion through the magic combination of ballet and music.
We adults can now rekindle days of old with such wonderful memories.
Thank you for your patience and wonderful tuition. Through your school and teaching basic ballet to adults. You have given a wonderful gift to us all…..joy!

Coral

After months of rehearsals and costume fittings suddenly it was "Chookas Everyone!" And we were on stage! The Gala concert at Xavier on a big stage with proper lighting was a little (and big) girl's dream come true. At last, I was a dancer and it was all thanks to Kalman Warhaft and the team at Melbourne Institute of Dance.

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