A popular and well loved teacher Principal Lydia Cagney Morris has been involved in dance for 40 years starting her early dance training in the R.A.D Ballet syllabus in Ulverstone, Tasmania. After moving to Victoria Lydia then studied the Cecchetti Ballet Syllabus to status level also studying the Imperial Society Teachers of Dance (ISTD) syllabus in Tap and Modern.  Lydia has a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Studies (Dance & Drama) from Victoria University of Technology and is a qualified teacher with the Cecchetti Society of Australia. She has gained her Cecchetti Associate, Associate Diploma & Licentiate status examinations and in 2016 gained her Cecchetti Licentiate Diploma in Antomy and Ballet History.           

Lydia has presented at various Australian fitness conferences Sportscoach, NETWORK Australia and VICSWIM on the topic of aquatic rehabilitation for dancers and has been published in Dancetrain Magazine on the topic of dance nutrition.             

Lydia has been the state organiser since 2003 for the Cecchetti Victorian Choreographic Competition and a dance adjudicator for the past seventeen years all over Australia and New Zealand. In 2014 Lydia also completed a Diploma of Dance Teaching and Management- CUA50311 with the A.T.O.D- Australian Teachers of Dancing.

She currently teaches dance at MLC-Methodist Ladies College, Kew and freelances at various dance schools around Melbourne.

Vanessa Northcott started her early dance training aged three, attending jazz and ballet classes at Mathis School of Dance in Braeside.She recently graduated her 2nd year of Full Time receiving her Diploma of Dance as a Pre-Professional student at Transit Dance. Primarily majoring in contemporary under the direction of Paul Malek, Vanessa has trained in a variety of additional styles including the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Syllabus where she completed her Intermediate examination, attaining the ‘Athol Willoughby Award’ in 2011. Vanessa also studied at Patrick Studios Australia for 4 years, graduating year 12 from Patrick Studios Academy of Performing Arts in 2014. Throughout Vanessa’s final school year she was successful in receiving a result of 50 for her VCE VET Dance studies. She was then selected to perform as a candidate of the VCE Season of Excellence as a Top Class Dance Performer. In 2015, Vanessa completed her 1st year as a Full Time Performing Arts student at Patrick Studios under the direction of Todd Patrick. Throughout these years Vanessa was able to reach a high level of skill in commercial work and core jazz technique. Alongside her dance training, Vanessa has spent 10 years as a National stream gymnast, achieving National Level 7 in a competitive training squad. She also has 2 years’ experience training in the position of a flyer as part of Bayside Bullets cheerleading team, enabling her to progress her acrobatic ability to complement her dancing. Vanessa has now been a freelance dance teacher for 3 years present, educating and choreographing solos and group dances in a vast variety of styles. Recently, Vanessa has been awarded Runner up in the Youth Choreographic Competition ‘Dance Architect’ where she was awarded residency at Transit Dance to develop her piece further in 2017.

Melissa has been teaching for many years in both NSW and Victoria as both a dance studio owner and a freelance dance teacher.           

She has a Bachelor of Dance from the University of NSW and additional qualifications as a teacher of the

Rudolf Steiner Eurhythmy method.

Melissa is a Cecchetti Ballet trained Associate and Associate Diploma -Certificate IV-CUA40313 teacher.

Melissa is a well loved and talented teacher of young children, bringing joy and an expressive approach to introducing them to dance.

At Bayside Ballet Academy Melissa is one of two of our main teachers of classical ballet, working with both our

Grade and Major exam students of Cecchetti ballet.