About Us

At VLDA we are passionate about teaching dance! We want to see every student thrive and enjoy their dancing! We are committed to guiding every student.

Our expert teachers take this positive approach as they teach not only correct and safe dance technique but also dance expression and artistry that is age appropriate. VLDA has an outstanding reputation for teaching dance at the highest level and is known for its dance excellence.

We have current VLDA students and teachers dancing with The Australian Opera and dancing professionally in ballet and contemporary dance companies around the world. We have students dancing in the Australian Ballet School Interstate Training program and VLDA graduates who are full time at the Australian Ballet School. Van Loon Dance Academy consistently has winners and place getters in the annual NSW Cecchetti Ballet Medal Tests, annual Choreographic Competition and annual Exam Scholarships. A VLDA student won ‘the best Junior Contemporary dancer’ award  at the Cecchetti International Ballet competition and runner up in the Australian Cecchetti silver Lucie Saranova Medal competition in 2017. VLDA students are consistently selected for the NSW Cecchetti Ballet Scholars classes and perform very well every year in the annual Cecchetti Ballet exams and BAL Tap dance exams. VLDA students as group and solo performers consistently win or place in Sydney wide Eisteddfods in all dance styles/genres.

VLDA students enjoy a fun, healthy and joyful journey in dance under our expert guidance an tuition! We love to come along side them in their journey!

Recreational students form the majority of any dance school and all are warmly welcomed at VLDA. Highly talented students are identified within this cohort and nurtured and guided into more serious training should they wish to pursue it.

Principal Jessica Van Loon F.C.B.A-C.I.C.B holds her Fellowship qualification in the Cecchetti Method of ballet training and feels very blessed to have such an outstanding team of teachers at VLDA, nurturing, establishing, encouraging and guiding the next generation of happy, healthy well grounded and well rounded dancers

Jessica commenced her ballet training with Moya Beaver (ex-principal dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet and NSW Cecchetti teacher) at the tender age of 2 and a half. Her formative training continued with Valrene Tweedie OAM (former Cecchetti Patron). 

Jessica was the Junior Cecchetti Medal runner up in 1980 and the Senior Cecchetti Medal winner in 1982. After one year of full-time ballet training with Miss Tweedie, Jessica successfully auditioned for the Australian Ballet School and graduated in 1986 after their three-year program at that time. She performed in the Australian Ballet School’s Dancers Co (1986) in Swan Lake (Act II) and Pineapple Poll and The Nutcracker in her year’s graduation performance. She performed with the Australian Ballet Co in Giselle and La Sylphide (1986) and Romeo and Juliette (1983). After graduating, Jessica went on to have a 12-year international dance career. Jessica was engaged as a soloist with “Tanz Theater Wien”, Vienna Austria for 2.5 years. She then danced as a soloist with “The Heidelberg Ballet” Germany for 4.5 years. After some freelance dance work, she was engaged with “Introdans” Arnhem, in The Netherlands, as a soloist for 4 years.

Jessica has toured to 44 countries dancing in many established and premiere works. Working on Jiri Kylian’s “Dream Dances” (Ballo duet) at the Nederlands Dans Theatre in The Hague, on Ohad Nahrin’s “Anaphase” duet at the Batsheva Co in Tel Aviv, Israel and with Nacho Duato on the Nightingale (solo) in his piece “Uccelli” while at Introdans in Arnhem, The Netherlands, were some professional highlights for Jessica. Jessica has choreographed and performed solo performances for the NCRV (National Dutch Television).

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