Kate Mensforth got her start at the Johnny Young Talent School, and now she is inspiring other young dancers at her own dance school in the Clare Valley. There have been some major hurdles along the way, but the ‘show must go on’ for Miss Kate as she realises a childhood dream.
Kate Mensforth spent much of her childhood dancing and entertaining.
As a shy, young school girl recently moved to the west from Deniliquin in New South Wales, she achieved many a young Aussie’s dream of the time, and joined the Johnny Young Talent School in Perth.
It was there that she found her niche.
Now Kate is sharing her passion, giving other young rural dancers the opportunity to shine through her own dance school, the Clare Valley School of Dance (CVSD) in Clare.
Opened in 2018, the school started with 60 eager dancers, and has grown to 320 students ranging in age from 18 months to 86-years-old.
With something for everyone – from ballet, jazz and acro, to hip hop, contemporary and ‘Ninja Lads’– she has students from right across the Mid North, as far as Melrose in the north to Port Wakefield in the south.
Kate admits she never anticipated such rapid growth, but once she opened the doors, the demand was there with young dancers – girls and boys – flocking to join.
“I designed the dance school initially to give kids the opportunity to dance one night a week, but I soon realised the need in the community was a lot larger than originally anticipated,” she said.
“We started nodding our heads saying ‘yes we’ll do that’ and it really just snowballed.
“It’s about facilitating what the children love and I think that’s why CVSD is special, because it gives kids an opportunity that they didn’t have otherwise to find something that they enjoy, that may not be the social norm of country life, something a bit different.”
With school teacher and IT guru husband Luke at her side – Kate admits, often with a calculator and a level head to her creative ideas – the pair now employ six staff, and have expanded to also offer lessons one evening a week at Balaklava.
Much of the inspiration behind the school has come from Kate’s own early days of dance.
Upon moving from Perth to Adelaide with her family – mum, dad and two sisters – she joined the Johnny Young-affiliated Mighty Good dance school and then Xcel Dance Studios.
It was at the newly-opened Xcel where she met teacher Leanne Stewart who ignited a new passion for ballet, jazz and contemporary dance. Kate went on to later learn and then perform and teach ballroom and Latin dance as well.
It was Leanne who took Kate on as a student dance teacher, a model that Kate has incorporated into her own dance school.
She has given three of her dancers the opportunity to share their skills and passion with other young students while being mentored by Kate and her staff, including Royal Academy of Dance-registered teacher, the highly experienced and respected Valda Ryan.
“I’m forever thankful to Leanne and the confidence she gave me to be a teacher,” Kate said.
“People think naturally I’m a confident person, an extrovert, but I’m certainly an introvert and very shy.
“Opening a dance school really was my dream. I had always looked at Leanne and thought, I wish I could have that life.”
Kate continued her dance journey beyond childhood, working with the travelling Footsteps dance school before taking up a position at Geelong College in performing arts.
It was there that she was encouraged to study teaching, which she did, rejoining the Geelong team on the completion of her degree.
She met Luke, and an opportunity arose for him to work as a PE teacher and play football at Riverton – sadly, the footy was short-lived when he suffered a serious knee injury in his first game.
But their love for the Clare Valley was sealed.
Kate was teaching at Owen Primary School before moving to St Joseph’s School in Clare as a reception teacher, where she taught for seven years.
Her love of dance spilled out into the classroom, and before long, parents started asking her to offer lessons after school.
With two young sons – Ted and Sidney – the idea offered some flexibility, being able to work in the evenings when Luke could be home with the boys.
Kate’s dance school immediately flourished and grew.
But behind the scenes, it has not been easy.
Running a business has been a steep learning curve, and navigating accounting, HR, negotiating contracts, marketing and profitability are all new skills Kate and Luke have had to master.
“It has been a learn as you go, try and try again approach to deliver the standard we aspire to for the CVSD community, and I’m astonished at how far we have come,” Kate said.
Kate has also faced some serious health challenges along the way.
In 2020, Kate noticed her normally flexible dance body was increasingly tight, no matter how much she stretched, she had some stiffness in her joints and just was not feeling well. She awoke one morning unable to see out of one eye.
She was eventually diagnosed with Wegeners Granulomatosis – an auto-immune condition in her pituitary – but not before contracting encephalitis as well, and spending four weeks in hospital in Adelaide.
It is something Kate has accepted that she will live with for the rest of her life.
“Every day can be really hard,” Kate said.
“Throw in having two little boys, a marriage, a business into the mix and it’s really challenging.
“A huge part of my life that is run by my illness, but I try to live with it and know I’m not going to cure it, it’s not ever going away, it’s something we’ll live with forever.”
Remarkably, when her boys were aged under three, Kate was also diagnosed with a neuro endocrine tumour in her appendix.
And last year, she underwent spinal surgery for an injury sustained while retrieving her puppy from the kids trampoline at home, resulting in two bulging discs that were unable to be rehabilitated.
Kate underwent a full discectomy in her neck.
Her experiences would have stopped most in their tracks.
But like a true entertainer, ‘the show must go on’ and Kate somehow maintains her upbeat, positive attitude.
A self-confessed “goer and dreamer”, she and Luke even undertook a major renovation on their home, navigated Covid-times, and somehow managed to lead and grow the dance school, tackling the challenges head-on.
This year, the dance school will move into a new location at The Valleys Lifestyle Centre and there are plenty of exciting new plans ahead.
“Some days are diamonds, and some days are hard but you just do what you have to do,” Kate said.
“Through the many ups and downs of my health, the challenges of navigating COVID as a school, all the while learning how to be a business leader has been quite the ride.
“But I am optimistic about what comes next for CVSD, our community and for my family.”
And as little dancers gather excitedly at her dance school, it all becomes very clear that Miss Kate has realised her dream.
Founder and leader of her very own dance school, and inspirer to many.
