An unassuming dance studio in Newcastle West is encouraging a culture and community of dance across Newcastle, and every one, of all backgrounds and experience levels, is invited. Couple Braeden Lee and Georgia Robinson own and operate Top Rock Dance Studios in Newcastle West.
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Robinson is originally from Newcastle and Lee grew up in Rockhampton, Queensland.
"Good dancers come out of Rockhampton, but they never go back," he jokes.
The two met while training in Sydney and then went on to work as dancers on celebrity cruise ships, alongside other career pursuits. After traveling the world working in the industry, they decided to move back to Newcastle to be closer to Robinson's family.
They started teaching classes in 2022 at a space that's now been demolished in the East End. Through Hunter Drama they were able to get their own space to teach and after running casual classes at first they went on to run full timetables. They got a commercial lease at a different space and in October of last year they moved into their current location in Newcastle West. They decked it out and now run 18 classes a week including private.
"We loved how open it is," Robinson says of their studios.
"It's not the typical warehouse vibes, with the skylights," Lee says. "An open-plan dance studio sounded like a cool idea. Within three weeks we were in here. So much paint, we built this room, that wall, cut the mezzanine off, all in three weeks."
Since they opened, Lee says the business has been strong. They offer all kinds of dance styles for students ages 16 and up including contemporary, lyrical, commercial, jazz, Broadway style jazz, hip hop styles, house, breaking and ballet. Their heels classes are really popular. They offer a KPOP class and have private options, too.
"This year it's just grown quite a lot. Last week we had 160 bookings. Each month it's been bigger. It's very humbling to see it happen and quite overwhelming," Lee says. "It doesn't feel like work."
"It's such a joyous place for people which makes it feel not like work," Robinson agrees.
Jacinta Durney is a classically trained dancer and exercise physiologist. She regularly takes dance classes at Top Rock. Last Saturday she co-organised a dance and poetry performance event at the University of Newcastle's Q Building with eight dancers, almost all of whom regularly dance or teach at Top Rock among other dance pursuits.
"For me they're very knowledgeable but also when you walk into a dance class, they're very welcoming with an uplifting energy," Durney says of the Top Rock team. "They make you feel like you should be there and that's very rare in the dance world."
For Lee, a classically trained dancer with a long history in the dance world, the one thing he and Robinson wanted to convey is a lack of ego at their studios. Everyone from all experience levels are welcome, including people who have never danced before.
Robinson said sometimes people have dance trauma from the old-school teaching style. Lee says they get a lot of students who are just coming back after 10 or 15 years away from dance, hoping to recover from the old ways.
Many people have experienced the snarkiness and clique-ness of the dance community. They don't want any of that behaviour at Top Rock.
For Lee and Robinson, Top Rock not only welcomes newcomers, but also serves as a place for experienced, burnt-out dancers to rebuild.
Visit Top Rock's website to learn more about classes and pricing. You can see examples of their classes on Instagram. At the end of the year they put on a showcase with their students.
