It’s hard to believe that it is 18 years since the youthful student sung and danced her way into a billion hearts worldwide during the opening ceremony of the 2000 games.
And she represented our nation perfectly, appearing in a pink flowered dress and singing the opening lines to the beautiful song “Under Southern Stars”:
There's a peace in our hearts,
And a hope in our hands,
Now an Australian pop icon, Nikki is celebrating 10 years since she opened her first performing arts studio, Dance @ Nikki Webster.
The business was a success from word ‘go’ and has since expanded to three successful studios at Erina, Leichhardt and most recently in Minchinbury, Western Sydney.
Nikki and her brother Scott opened their first studio in 2008, fulfilling a lifelong dream for Nikki to turn her passion of performing into a full time job - teaching students and guiding the performers of tomorrow.
“The 2000 Olympic Games gave me a platform to do what I love on an international stage and granted me with an incredible opportunity to be able to pass on my knowledge to young performers,” Nikki said.
“Being in the spotlight at such a young age taught me lessons and values that I still hold to this day and want to pass on to my children and students. Always be driven, never burn bridges and match your work ethic to your passion.”
Dance @ Nikki Webster’s studios offer all styles of dance and performing arts for children aged 18 months to young people aged 19.
“Scott and I created our dance business to offer a full array of performing arts for young students. We currently offer different levels of dance from beginner classes, right up to advanced competing troupes who are title holders, as well as fun classes such as acro, circus and singing,” said Nikki.
Dance @ Nikki Webster is one of the few dance studios in the state to offer its high school students with the opportunity to turn their classes into a nationally recognised degree.
And being able to dance could mean success in gaining employment in the entertainment industry for Nikki’s young charges.
“We are trying to provide future employment opportunities for our students by offering Certificate I, II and III in Dance. Students can complete recognised units in these courses while they do their dance lessons if it’s a career path they wish to pursue. “
“To already have completed units of a recognised certificate before completing high school is a great leg up if they want to apply for a Diploma or take on a university course in the future,” Nikki said.
Nikki never stops setting goals for her business future
She said she wanted to grow and expand and keep the same competitive drive each year. She also attests to the power of telling her story in promoting her studio to aspiring dancers.
“We want to provide the talented youth of today with a place to experience things they have never experienced such as access to world class choreographers and teachers who provide exclusive performance opportunities for Australian performers.
“I also want to be able to provide a wonderful business that keeps growing and growing and one that hopefully my children may want to take on, which would be very rewarding.
“A key to the success of Dance @ Nikki Webster has also been promoting our story. We are a family run business dedicated to helping others achieve their goals.
“While we have changed with the times and modernised our strategies to move toward the social media and the digital landscape, we personally still believe the best marketing is word of mouth.
“Allowing people to come and experience the studio through our open days and trial classes is hugely beneficial so parents and locals can try the styles or classes they are interested in to see what works best for them,” Nikki said.
For more information about Dance @ Nikki Webster, including classes and registering for 2018, visit www.dancenikkiwebster.com.au.
