Renowned as one of the greatest educators within the Australian dance industry, Karen Malek is a name well known to most. With her decades of experience paired with her lively, endearing personality, it’s easy to understand why she’s the greatly esteemed dance teacher she is. Her use of empathy and compassion to encourage and support others to do their best allows the talent and passion of young performers to truly shine through. Understanding of the trials and tribulations that occur throughout a dancers journey, Karen believes we all have the opportunity to make a difference in someones life and this is something she attests to daily. Consistently giving back to the dance community, Karen adheres to always staying humble and motivates those around her to continue to grow, learn and become better versions of themselves. An avid Collingwood supporter through and through (who would’ve guessed?!), we had a chat with Karen about her recent Australian Dance Award, her experience within the dance industry and her aspirations for the dance community in the future.

Energetiks: A well-deserved congratulations for your recent ‘Services to Education Award’ from the Australian Dance Awards. How does it feel to have won such an esteemed award?

Karen Malek: Surreal to be honest. I was so honoured to be nominated and be in such great company. I never imagined myself as the winner - not in my wildest dreams. However, once I reflected on the outcome I thought it appropriate to dedicate the award to all mainstream teachers who run dance schools in local communities for decades. These teachers continually give back to their communities and help parents raise the next generation of amazing young adults. I feel a real affinity with this group of dance teachers.

E: You’re a well-known and respected dance teacher within the dance community. Can you explain how your dance journey started and what then lead you to becoming the renowned teacher you are today?

KM: My dance journey started in Morwell, country Victoria in the Latrobe Valley, under the guidance of Joy Davey. My parents wanted their daughters to dance. My father was a ballroom dance teacher prior to the Second World War when he lived in Melbourne and his mother used to sew costumes for the local dance school in Korumburra in South Gippsland. My first school was in Churchill, followed by a friend and I taking over Mrs Davey‘s dance school when she retired. We were driven to provide our students with the best training possible and to not allow distance (from a major City) to be a factor in what they were capable of achieving. I then moved to Melbourne to live when our son (Paul) was accepted to Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS). I commenced Dance Discovery in 1995 and operated five schools with 20 teachers for 10 years. I eventually sold Dance Discovery and supported Paul and a dear friend to open MAPA (Melbourne Academy of Performing Arts) and then Paul sold me on the dream of Transit Dance which has now been operating for six years.
Renowned? I have always been driven to know more. I do think that a good teacher never stops learning. The first thing I did when I moved to Melbourne was enrol part time into the teachers’ course at Box Hill under the guidance of Dianne Parrington. Despite being part time I learnt so much from my tutors that my drive to know more has never waned.

E: You’re also a graduate of the Australian Ballet School Teachers Course. Was that a pivotal moment that pertains to your success as a dance teacher?

KM: I was beyond excited to be accepted into the teachers’s course at the ABS. My teacher had wanted me to audition when I was younger but I only ever wanted to teach. This was a dream come true! It was a tough 12 months as I had five schools to oversee, I was teaching, my husband was away for six months of the year with his work and I had three children. It wasn’t always the easiest managing the demands of a family, a business and study but we got through it. I don’t believe this was a pivotal moment in my development as a teacher but certainly important in terms of extending my knowledge and continuing my journey. The quality of teachers was outstanding and I learnt a lot from each of them. Plus, I met the beautiful Gailene Stock who was always so gracious with her time and took a real interest in the people she met and who crossed her path. She made me feel important and what a gift that was. That is singularly the one thing that I value the most - knowing someone so revered who had time for everyone. I have met similar people to this - all from the ballet world - all world renowned who were just so interested in others and valued everyone they met. These people have taught me to never imagine myself to be better than someone else; that all people you meet are important; that you have an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Gailene will never know the impact she had on me and no doubt others too.

E: As a founding member of ATOD (Australian Teachers of Dancing) and the president for 10 years, can you tell us how ATOD was created and what your time as president was like?

KM: ATOD was founded in 1991 when a large group of teachers who had been together under another umbrella created ATOD in order to provide meaningful scholarships to their students. I served on the board for a number of years prior to becoming President in 2007. My time as President was a very rewarding 10 years working on behalf of both recreational and vocational dance teachers in metropolitan and country regions. We ventured overseas in 1992 and ATOD is now operational in many countries throughout the world. My greatest achievements, together with my board, include further expansion of the scholarship program, adding a bursary program, becoming a RTO, attracting sponsors, creating an emergency relief fund as a result of fire and flood affected students and teachers in 2009 and updating all syallabi and resources including adding contemporary, hip hop, street tap and musical theatre to the systems of training of classical ballet, jazz, tap and pre-school. There are more achievements too numerous to mention, but I have happily seen the organisation grow exponentially.

E: Aside from teaching you’ve also adjudicated and examined. How do you find those roles?

KM: Adjudicating allowed me to strive to make a difference in the life of competitive dance and those participating in competitive dance. Winning is not the big thing for me. Growing, learning and being a better version of yourself is at the core of my efforts. I have always tried to provide constructive criticism, to be fair and to be consistent. I have seen some horrific behaviour from time to time but at the core of examining is always loving the children/dancers and their efforts. Examining is the crowning jewel of being able to interact with like minded teachers and seeing their efforts firsthand and the efforts of their teachers. The children/students are often excited or nervous and an empathetic examiner can set them at ease and help them to do their very best in the exam room. Again, writing constructive, fair reports has always been paramount to the role as well as being a support/mentor to the teacher if they request it.

E: Adding to your collection of accolades, you’re also the patron of VDF. What does VDF mean to you?

KM: Victorian Dance Festival (VDF) is dance for everyone. It commenced by bringing amazing teachers to country towns to provide country students with opportunities they were often unable to tap into. Asked to be the patron was truly humbling and such an honour - being a country girl myself it seemed like the perfect fit for VDF at the time it commenced. It’s evolved over the years to now being held in metropolitan Melbourne but country school participation is still key to its success. VDF now attracts interstate and overseas visitors. It also attracts like minded businesses and the opportunity to catch up with long time friends and business owners is a bonus. The sharing of the love of dance and watching the joy on the faces of students and parents alike makes it three days of pure, unadulterated happiness.

E: Transit Dance was founded in 2015 by your son Paul and yourself with the intention to create an educational setting that was practical yet also holistic and nurturing. Tell us a little more about Transit Dance and how it is working together with your son.

KM: Working with Paul is always a delight. He is a bundle of energy and has a vibrance when educating. He is inspirational and I’m so proud of him. Transit Dance is a delightful place to visit each day. The young, fresh students are full of optimism for the future and with a desire to do their very best is just so special to be around. They inspire by their efforts, their struggles, their support of each other and their drive for continuous improvement. Equally, the staff share that drive and encourage and support the students, as well as each other, in their endeavours. It’s simply inspirational day in, day out.
To be honest, Paul and I have always been close. We know each other well, when to support, when to walk away and when to build up. I have learnt and grown from watching not only Paul teach but all the teachers who have graced these studios. I continue to learn from watching their interactions and their training methods. Paul and I work in different departments so we don’t always work closely, but often bounce ideas off each other and of course have business meetings from time to time. I think we are good for each other.

E: With a busy schedule it can be difficult to find moments of down time. What do you enjoy doing outside of the dance and teaching realm?

KM: The two F’s - Family and Football (AFL and round ball - soccer). My husband and I are affiliated with different clubs in the AFL and follow Melbourne Victory in the soccer. My husband umpired country football when we were first married and was Secretary of the Latrobe Valley Football League for a long time. We also love tennis and most sports to be honest. We have started adding travel to the mix now that we are ‘semi’ retired and trying to see as much of Victorias as we can. When we travel overseas sporting arenas will be included in visits such as Wimbledon, Lords, Yankee Stadium - baseball, Madison Square Garden - basketball, Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL, Wellington Stadium to see Phoenix FC. You get the drift!! I have been described as ‘far too nice’ to barrack for Collingwood but I am proudly a Magpie through and through!

I also have a large family being one of eight children and my mother has just gone into a nursing home at almost 92 years old. We have three children and two grandchildren that we love and adore. There is always something happening in the family. I wish there were more hours in the day!

E: What do you hope to see in the dance community and industry in the future?

KM: My hope for the future is regulation in our industry brought in with common sense and consultation. I love seeing dance teachers support one another in a tangible way. I would like to see dance continue to grow and be respected in the community as a way of life and to be appreciated by one and all for its importance in the growth and wellbeing of children. I would love to see dance on an equal footing with sports.

E: For other aspiring dance teachers, what advice would you have?

KM: Advice - realise the importance of professional development (PD) and continue to participate in PD. For young teachers starting out, get a qualification. It won’t make you a great teacher but the knowledge and information you will learn will give you a great start that you can put into practice when you teach. Teaching and having the knowledge, together with having a great mentor, will over time make you a great teacher. Don’t stop learning, stay humble and always conduct your business and yourself ethically and professionally.

Follow @transitdance to learn more about their exciting events for the year ahead.
For more information about the Australian Dance Awards click here.

Article by Sheree Ronai-Horvath
Photography by Elly Ford & Shweta Karwatra

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