Photo: Supplied.
FROM M DANCE
Which local dance teacher recently celebrated 70 years of teaching the art of dance to the local community? The answer is the one and only Mrs Jan Hope!
If she looks familiar to you, and you have ever learned dance in Wynnum, Hemmant, or Birkdale, then chances are you were taught by Mrs Hope.
After a very successful career dancing at the Theatre Royal and at the Railway Hotel (behind some big names such as the Bee Gees), Mrs Hope opened her own studio at Hemmant before moving to the Old Town Hall in Wynnum, and only moving again to the Buffalo Hall when the town hall was being demolished to build the Leisure Centre.
Many of Mrs Hope’s past students have gone on to enjoy successful careers of their own in the Netherlands Ballet, in shows such as 42nd Street, Boy from Oz, Singin’ in the Rain and Chicago, as well as hosting TV shows, modelling careers and some even opening successful dance studios of their own.
Mrs Hope’s studio has always supported the local community by competing in the Wynnum Manly Eisteddfod every year since its inception, and her students performed at local events and nursing homes in the area.
A dance teacher and studio rarely gets to celebrate such a fantastic achievement and so many student success stories.
