Janis Pianta is a dance teacher based in Bairnsdale, over three hours’ drive from Melbourne. Since 1982 students of the Jan Pianta School of Dance have been inspired by their teacher’s engaging vivacity and boundless energy to love dance and believe in their dreams. The rural location and limited access to resources are no barrier. Jan herself has overcome many personal and professional adversities and sets an example for her students as she prepares them for the hard lessons many professional performers take years to learn.
Jan is an exceptional dance teacher who both sets and demonstrates the highest standards. For 30 years she has selflessly given country students every opportunity to reach their potential. She expects her students to strive to achieve high standards through developing an awareness of “belief, passion and commitment”. Recent students have gained to entry into the Australian Ballet School Interstate Training Program and VCE Dance Top Acts (a performance which showcase the top ranking students). Past students have gained entry into the National Theatre Ballet School, the Victorian College of the Arts, the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet and the Royal Academy Musical Theatre Post-Graduate course in London and a number of professional stage productions both in Australia and internationally. Amy Hollingsworth, now the dance director at Sydney Dance Company, is another of her former pupils.
Jan teaches six days a week at her studio in the picturesque setting of a historic theatre. Some 4000 students have graced her studios.
This is an excerpt from an article by one of Jan's former pupils, Eliza Tarpey. You can read the full story in the Feb/Mar issue of Dance Australia. OUT NOW! Subscribe to Dance Australia here.
Janis Pianta with some of her young charges.
