Spotlight On . . .

This week our spotlight is on Ms Danielle Canavan, Grade 3 teacher.

Danielle was born in Melbourne and grew up in the leafy suburbs of Blackburn. She attended Blackburn Primary School, which was a small school at the time with only one grade in each year level, however this meant she stayed with the same group of awesome people! In Grade 3 she was selected to be in the local newspaper and had to read to her Cabbage Patch doll! Danielle LOVED primary school and this is probably one of the reasons she is now a primary school teacher.

Music and dance are two of Danielle’s biggest passions! Being able to play the violin in the String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra at Blackburn High School was such a joy and she has many fond memories of music camps, competitions and concerts. This was matched with her love of ballet classes at Utassy Ballet School, where she started at the age of five and actually has never left! She currently teaches ballet, character dance (like folk dancing, such as Russian and Ukrainain) and contemporary dance. Her memories as a student at the school are dearly cherished.

Danielle was uncertain about what path to take after high school but she enjoyed working with children and moving her body, so she decided to do a double degree in Teaching and Human Movement. When she graduated she taught PE at two different schools (Macclesfield Primary and Cockatoo Primary) and even had a Prep/Grade 1 class for a term. Her passion for dance called to her though. She took a chance and auditioned for the VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) to study dance full time. It was extremely hard work but there was nothing better than getting to dance every day and learn from some incredible teachers and choreographers. 

After graduating from the VCA, Danielle formed a small contemporary dance group with some of the other graduates from her year level, called Rogue. They collaborated and created together to perform for festivals in Melbourne, and even got the opportunity to tour to Malaysia and South Korea as well!! It was a dream come true for Danielle!!

While Danielle was working with Rogue, she decided to also do some CRT work. Funnily enough it was through her dance connections that she ended up working at Syndal South and also at Wesley College. She enjoyed working with children again and gradually made the transition to working full time at Syndal around 2012. There wasn’t as much time for dancing but she managed to fit in some character dance, performing with Kalinka Dance Company. Last year she even did some contemporary dance again, performing in a show at the Abbotsford Convent and at a Music Festival.

Other joys in Danielle’s life are watching musical theatre (she’s seen Wicked and the The Book of Mormon at least ten times for each show!), reading, spending time with friends, watching the footy (go Hawks!) and travelling. Outside of Australia she’s travelled to England, France, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Last year she enjoyed a trip to Darwin with Irene Antzoulatos to meet Justine Hagen and spent some glorious (and HOT!) days in beautiful Litchfield National Park.

The year 2020 has been challenging for all. Danielle is very much looking forward to spending time with friends again and hopefully travelling sometime soon. She is grateful for having the opportunity to work with incredible staff, parents and children at Syndal South! What a great place to be! 😊