Our Proud History 

 

 

The first Annual General Meeting was held on 21 July, 1991 when Sally Herbig of Victoria was elected President. The founding Directors of the Company were Lesley Oxley-Beattie, Avril Binzer, Jennifer Powell, Margaret Kirkness, Sandra Tsiprou, Karen Malek, Pamela Lennon and Dorothy Cowie.

 

This original board of nine created a shared vision to inspire and provide innovative education, training and opportunities for the dance industry.  This vision gave the organisation wings and set the wheels in motion to drive ATOD towards a strong future.

 

The first scholarship programme was offered in 1992 and during this year, the vision grew and an opportunity arose for ATOD to expand operations into Asia. The first examinations were held in Hong Kong and this led to a rapid growth of the business throughout Asian countries and beyond. This international foray proved so successful that in 2004, the international branch of ATOD, named ATOD International, was formed. ATOD now conducts examinations and teacher seminars around the world and continues to enjoy rapid growth in the overseas market.

 

Of course, since then ATOD has grown and now offers Systems of Training including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre and National Character and a recognised world-wide examination system.  This is a long way from the initial years where each state would run its own examinations, competitions and scholarships with some very dedicated teachers volunteering their time for all of these events, making sure that the students were offered every opportunity to succeed in the professional dance world.  

 

ATOD became a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in 2007 and now offers a number of nationally accredited dance industry qualifications. Our RTO division delivers distance education, auspices with dance organisations Australia-wide and has expanded services to offer VET/VCE Dance.

 

As a wholly Australian owned company and a not-for-profit organisation, we continue to offer excellence in dance education and strive to energise and excite a wide variety of people to be involved in the arts.

 

Since our inception, our scholarship programme has gone from strength to strength, providing monetary support for students of ATOD member studios. Our exciting Bursary programme and Emergency Relief Fund also continue to offer support as needed. Over the years, we have continued to expand and build upon the services offered.

 

With the appointment of our first CEO in 2020, we continue to go from strength to strength as we look towards celebrating the 30th anniversary of ATOD in 2021.