Voted Regional Victoria's Best Dance Teacher, 2024 - Herald Sun, Victoria 

 

Soraya is the owner and founder of SMDS and proudly celebrated 5 years of running the studio recently in 2025. She is entering her 18th year of dance teaching, and is highly experienced in teaching Jazz, both Broadway & Street Tap, Acrobatics, Musical Theatre, Contemporary & Lyrical styles from preschool ages to adult.

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Soraya has completed various dance teaching certifications and accreditation's under the trusted guidance of Australian Teachers of Dancing, Dance Factory & Acrobatics Association of Australia and continues to build on and improve her qualifications over the years. Soraya's ‘speciality’ is Commercial Jazz & Modern/Street Tap & prides herself on choreographing routines that leave the audience guessing!

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With a background in Primary School Education, her approach to dance education is backed with an array of specialist knowledge with the student's well being, learning style and technical development always being of main priority.

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Soraya has proudly trained students to go on to exceptional achievements in the performing arts industry, and has notably had past students go onto professional theatre ('MATILDA' the Musical Australian Tour) and work at Disneyland, Paris and consistently has students being accepted into highly acclaimed Tertiary dance programs across the state and Australia wide.

 

Over the past 12 years she has successfully trained and competed with soloists, duos and troupes across various dance schools prior to beginning SMDS in 2020, and has loved seeing the confidence and skill improvement build in her students each time they step out on stage. 

 

Some of Soraya's most celebrated awards for her choreography in the competitive scene so far are winning the Millie Swandale Memorial Trophy at Bendigo Dance Eisteddfod 2 years in a row in both 2018 and 2019 and the Robyn Pascoe Memorial award at Royal South Street in 2019.

 

In Soraya's career she has also attended a wide number of masterclasses and choreography work-shops to further her skills, and has had the privelege of being mentoured by some of the industries finest such as Darren Disney (Tap Dogs original founder), Mia Michaels (SYTYCD USA, internationally renowned choreographer), Tovaris Wilson (Broadway Dance Centre NYC, SYTYCD USA), Marco Panzic (The Dream Dance Company) and Demi Sorono (SYTYCD AU) to name a few.

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Aside from being the full-time Director of SMDS and dance teacher, Soraya is a busy mum, who loves blending her love of running her business in a family-friendly, inclusive dance studio that all ages can enjoy and looks forward to many more years of SMDS to come!