About Us - Inside Out Dance Theatre Daylesford

Early in the twentieth century Isadora Duncan developed a form of creative dance that revolutionised the dance world with its focus on the expressive qualities of movement. Her students were called The Isadorables. One of those students was Mary Wingman who also studied with Rudolph Laban. Mary Wigman is considered one of the mothers of modern dance.

Before migrating to Australia Dorothea Manigiamele studied with Mary Wingman in Germany. In the 1970s Mangiamele founded the creative dance school Mangala, in Carlton Melbourne. Her yoga focused, passionate, fun and dynamic style in turn has inspired a string of influenced creative dance schools throughout Victoria; such as Over the Moon in Castlemaine and Seven Turns Dance Collective in Bendigo, to name a few. It is in the tradition of Manigiamele’s style that we are also most influenced by at Inside Out.

INSIDE OUT DANCE THEATRE was founded in 2004 and housed at Factory 2/ East St. Our teachers are committed to dance and drama as life style, education and empowerment. We have a strong artistic collaborative culture in the school.

Jen Bray

Concert Production Manager & Drama Teacher

“Drama is the magic of play”.

Actor, Drama Teacher, Filmmaker, Stage Manager, Production Manager, Arts Administrator & Festival Co-ordinator.

Jen trained in Drama, Dance and Literature at Melbourne Uni with a B.Ed (Arts) and has worked in theatre, television, short film, opera and circus over the past 25 years.

She has directed shows and run circus programs for The National Institute of Circus Arts, lectured in acting and directed opera at The Victorian College of the Arts, directed shows for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and formed a touring theatre company.

She has performed as an actor in TV shows such as A Country Practice and on stage at La Mama Theatre, Carlton Courthouse, and toured schools shows across Victoria.… (to read more, click link below)

Lynda Gent

Ballet & Creative Dance Teacher

“For me, dance is being in the body, in the moment, flowing.”

Lynda trained in Classical Ballet with Joan Boler and Rhyll Kennel, former dancers with the Australian Ballet, moving into Contemporary Dance first at Victoria College,Rusden, then continuing her studies in Paris.

She has many years of dance teaching experience, having taught Ballet, Contemporary and Creative Dance in Ballet Schools, Primary and Secondary Schools throughout Melbourne, and in Ballarat and Castlemaine.

Lynda holds a Bachelor of Education in Dance and Drama from Victoria College Rusden and an Associate Diploma in Ballet Teaching from The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

Lynda’s performance history includes choreographing and performing in Contemporary Dance works for the Melbourne Fringe and Independent Dance Seasons… (to read more, click link below)

Kirstie McCracken

Contemporary Dance Teacher

“Dance for me is about physical textures, sensation, creativity and freedom of expression. It is a process of finding a balance between technique, form and detail and physical freedom and individuality. I teach release based contemporary technique classes as a foundation for my students to find their own unique way of moving.”

Kirstie trained at the Victorian College of the Arts, she has toured nationally and internationally over the past 15 years creating and performing works with Chunky Move (Flesh Meet, Body Parts, Live Acts, Singularity), Lucy Guerin Inc (The Ends of Things, Melt, Plasticine Park, On, Aether, Love Me, Structure and Sadness, Corridor, Weather), Force Majeure (Same, same but different, Already Elsewhere, The Sense of It, The Age I’m In, Never did me any Harm), Byron Perry (Punctuated Equilibrium, Gogglebox, Double Think), Tasdance (Hypermobile), Fiona Cameron (Looking for Life Cure). Nicole Steven (Frame Chaser). She also collaborated with Lisa Griffiths choreographing and performing in…
(to read more, click link below)