It’s been a big investment of time and money but local dance teacher Eden Coughlan is confident her new dance studio will pay big dividends.
The official opening of the new Copper City Dance Centre (CCDC) studio in Linsley Street took place on Saturday after a 14 month build period.
“It was the dream to be in our own space and have the sprung floors and bars and proper mirrors that we need to run safe dance classes,” Eden told The Cobar Weekly.
Eden has been dancing for 13 years and her dream to open up her own dance studio began almost four years ago.
“I was injured and out for 12 months [from dancing].
“When I came back that’s when I realised that I really wanted to make it happen and do it on my own and provide the kids with something that would be of benefit,” she said.
For more than a year, while the new dance studio was under construction, Eden’s dance business has making use of space at the Cobar Youth & Fitness Centre to conduct their classes.
Dancers and their families were keen on Saturday to view the new studio which boasts three dance spaces, (two of which have specialised sprung flooring, mirrors and bars), a reception area, an office, kitchenette, toilets and storage facilities.
“This is pretty much my original vision of how it would all look, which surprises me, but I am pretty stubborn,” Eden told The Cobar Weekly.
The centre has also welcomed a new dance teacher in Chris Buxton who recently moved to Cobar from Gladstone.
For Chris dance has been a life long passion and she’s been dancing since she was five, as well as teaching for a number of years.
Like Eden, it was after an injury that she decided to take up teaching and gained an Associate Diploma of Arts (Dance).
Chris also has a Certificate IV in Teaching and Dance Management.
She has plenty of experience in teaching ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary having run her own dance schools in Queensland and the NT.
Chris has also choreographed twirling and is keen to introduce national dance instruction to interested CCDC students.
Currently the centre has more than 50 students enrolled from toddlers to adults learning a variety of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, hip hop, cheerleading, acrobatics, point, stretch, technique and musical theatre.
