Don’t miss stunning farewell performances

MJ Dance Studio is finishing 2025 with a bang.

The concerts for the recreational dance classes were held earlier this month and Air Intensity, the aerial arm of the business, have two sold out performances this weekend, leaving just the main event – the competition classes end of year celebrations on December 5 and 6.

The December performances have a Chrissy Jenkin created feature performance piece titled Echoes of Her and this piece, along with the farewells to two of the school’s long standing quality performers and teachers Madi Lane and Kiera McBain.

The duo is graduation after well over a decade at the Mount Gambier dance school and both will be profiled in upcoming editions of the Mt Gambier Times.

MJ Dance Studio director Maria Slape said the good news for everyone looking to take in the December 5 or 6 performance is the concert features many new, never before seen routines.

“We love putting together new performances fort he end of year concerts – even the parents haven’t seen them before – it makes it such a special concert,” she said.

There will be the junior Mary Poppins routine, the senior dancers in a Mean Girls production and a nod to the Sound of Music.

Maria also loves being able to farewell beloved students in style and the two graduates from the Class of ’25 have been part of the MJ story for more than 15 years.

There will also be a tribute to Olivia Carey, who headed to Canada earlier this year on a ballet scholarship, also ending her time with the Mount Gambier studio.

“All three girls have been national standard dancers from our school and we will be sad to see them go but excited about what comes next in their careers,” Maria said.

The paths all three are taking also demonstrates perfectly the diversity of the MJ Dance Studio.

Olivia is following her ballet dreams; Madi is set to work in the musical theatre sphere and Kiera is headed down the aerial and acrobatics path.

It all points to a stunning concert from the tiniest dancers to the graduating stars with MJ’s famous troupe performances always a highlight.

Tickets are available through the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre website or heading into the box office.