In the town of Tottenham, in the central west of New South Wales, a regional dance school is sharing the magic of dance with students who would otherwise not have the opportunity. In a community that is primarily focused on traditional sports, Dance 2873 is filling a gap, ensuring that creative kids across a wide geographical area, don’t miss out. Principal, Natasha Levick says, “The focus at Dance 2873 is to provide a place where all kids belong, no matter what”.
The school, with 75 students was rebranded as Dance 2873 (from the original Western Studio of Performing Arts, run by Angie White) when Natasha took over in 2024. Classes are offered in ballet, jazz and musical theatre with a soon to be introduced acting class, ‘Set the Scene’, to students in Tottenham and Tullamore. Online or Outreach classes are also offered to students, as Natasha says “from my lounge room to theirs,” in towns including Condobolin, Lightning Ridge, Ivanhoe and Cumnock.
Assisted by Miss Haylee, who takes care of the Tullamore dancers, Natasha (Miss Tash to her students) teaches the Tottenham and Outreach classes, in addition to teaching dance to a preschool class in a neighbouring town, a drama class at the local Tottenham Secondary School, and juggling her farming duties, along with her role as a cook at the local hospital. Based on a farm out of town, Natasha not only travels to teach, she often drives her students to dance competitions throughout the region. She says, “It’s a busy life and many kilometres each week, but I love it”.
The highlight of the year for Dance 2873 students is the Term 3 concert, scheduled to avoid the busy harvest season in Term 4. Natasha says, “It is a well-attended and highly anticipated event each year”. She says that watching the Tottenham and Tullamore students along with some of the Outreach students shine on stage is very special for the community. Other events throughout the year include Eisteddfods, the Western Dance Festival and the Dance 2873 student’s performance at the Tottenham Christmas Tree each year.
For Natasha sharing her passion for dance with students who would otherwise miss out, is a joy and deeply fulfilling. She is proud of creating a space for students to be themselves where they are accepted and loved and says, “We do not need to be the best in our field, heck I don’t want that pressure, but we are a space where not matter how good you are, you are loved and nourished”. Always looking for ways to offer value and opportunities to her students, in 2024, Natasha spent a week of valuable professional development with the Australian Ballet as part of their Immersion Program to add value to her classes.
Creating opportunities for her students drives Natasha to overcome the range of challenges faced by running a regional dance school. She explains that classes cannot be held every day due to the distances involved, “It is just not feasible for most of our kids to travel daily”. There are also other responsibilities and extra-curricular activities that regional children and families are committed to, which Natasha explains has an impact on the skill development of dancers. She says, competing in competitions and Eisteddfods also involves a “huge commitment by our incredible dance parents to make these opportunities possible for our kids”.
Despite the challenges, she says there are lots of very special benefits of teaching dance in a small regional community. The support and love of the community, along with the culture of belonging and the privilege of having such a positive impact on her students, makes it all worthwhile. She says “I’ll face the challenges to be able to work in such a beautiful environment.”
The impact that Dance 2873 has on the wider central West communities of New South Wales is applauded by many dance families whose lives are positively affected. Praised for her “unwavering commitment and passion for ensuring her students have access to quality dance education” parent, Melissa Greg says, “Natasha has not only filled a crucial gap in our community, she has also demonstrated her steadfast dedication to the wellbeing and development of our young dancers”.
“A constant highlight” is how Natasha explains her weekly teaching schedule, from watching her Outreach students pop up on screen so excited to dance, to seeing her Tottenham students faces light up when they walk into class, “it lights my heart on fire to see our dancers fall in love with dance and movement”. She says, “Dance is an outward expression of our emotions and inner selves and it’s so important that our rural and regional kids get to experience that freedom and joy”.
- Michelle Dursun
This article is a Regional Spotlight feature in the 2025 Oct/Nov/Dec issue of Dance Australia
Regional Spotlight is supported by Dancsurance
