DANCING has always been a huge part of life for Strike A Pose Dance Studio owner and teacher Natasha Gerakis.
As a six-year old, she made the round trip from Charlton to Wycheproof to take her place in Collette May’s dance school and later, when the studio opened in Charlton, she continued to dance there until she finished high school and headed off to university in Melbourne.
The dancing bug ran through the family with her mum and sisters also tripping the light fantastic.
Starting with jazz ballet and tap, she later extended to other styles including hip-hop and contemporary with the latter being her favourite.
“Dance has always been about passion for me, it was my happy place,” Ms Gerakis said.
“It’s great for expressing feelings and emotions when you can’t find the words.”
Last month, she hung up her teaching shoes for the final time at Strike A Pose, with an impressive record of 2948 students under her belt.
For 18 years, she has provided dance lessons in Swan Hill while also providing classes in Nyah, Sea Lake, Balranald and Hopetoun.
Miss Natasha, as she is professionally known, said the relationships she built through dancing and teaching have endured long after the students graduated.
“I’m still friends with the girls I danced with and many of the students I have taught over the years have remained close even after finishing,” she said.
It’s not just the students who benefitted from the connections built through weekly dance lessons.
“Many mums have told me over the years that they also felt part of a community and were able to forge enduring friendships with other mums and I think that’s a wonderful side benefit,” Ms Gerakis said.
Her journey from her home town of Charlton to Swan Hill was interspersed with a degree in secondary teaching (drama and dance) in Melbourne, two and a half years of international travel and a change of career path into beauty therapy.
“When I completed my degree I travelled to the US where I worked at a summer camp teaching dance,” Ms Gerakis said.
“Then I spent time working in pubs in the UK and did some backpacking around Europe.
“When I returned to Melbourne I decided to study beauty and I worked in that field for a number of years.”
It was during that time she met her husband Matt Gerakis who was running a successful business in Melbourne and the couple were looking to buy a home together.
But as fate would have it, the future called in the form of her childhood dance teacher Collette May, who was selling her Swan Hill dance studio and suggested she come and see if it was something she was interested in taking on.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted or what to expect, but I thought I’d come for a look,” Ms Gerakis said.
“Although Matt was from Melbourne he had always preferred country life and we made the decision to take on the studio and renamed it Strike A Pose Dance Studio.”
Matt stayed in Melbourne for a year while Natasha established the business in Swan Hill.
He would later follow, relocating his business Treeforce and they would marry here and go on to have three children.
As the business grew, Ms Gerakis branched out to other areas including debutante ball choreography, as well as gravitating into local school performing arts’ programs.
“Things just evolved in a positive way here and I have received so much support from my dance families throughout the years,” she said.
“When I had my own children, it was often the dance mums who were babysitting them and changing nappies during classes and concerts.”
One of the biggest challenges in her 18-year career was making sure each concert was different and remained fresh and up-to-date with current trends.
Her greatest reward was watching the students develop their skills and have fun with dance.
Closing the studio doors comes with mixed emotions.
“I’m excited about the next chapter but also a little sad about closing the studio,” she said.
“Running a dance studio requires a lot of time and commitment.
“Each concert had around 30 items and that is a lot of work all year round.
“Julie Sweatman was costume creator for every one of those concerts and she is also taking a well-earned break.
“But mostly, I am just thankful for the wonderful years I had and the amazing families and students I got to know throughout that time.”
She will continue part-time teaching at St Mary’s Primary School in Swan Hill and was still available for debutante balls and private lessons.
She planned to spend more time with her family and would like to focus on a different passion.
“Rusty Nuts Metal Art is a business I started a year ago, creating art from recycled metal materials.
“It’s something I enjoy, and I plan to go to markets again with the items I make.
“I am very proud of all my 2948 students and hope they have taken skills that they can not only use on the dance floor, but in all aspects of life.
“Teaching dance is about teaching courage and confidence, dedication and perseverance, teamwork and trust and resilience.
“Those skills never fade and can be built upon across all sectors of life.”
