Judi Appleby
Tutor: Circle Dancing
Judi has loved dance since she began classical ballet classes when she was young. After passing all the Royal Academy of Dancing grades, and while teaching the 'littlies' at her ballet school, she started to dance in community theatre musical productions.
Later, after moving to Swan Hill when her children were young, Judi’s dance interest was rekindled when she was asked to become the 'travelling' ballet teacher with the North West Victorian Ballet Society, teaching classical and modern dance classes to students in Swan Hill and surrounding smaller towns. Choreographing the local theatre company's Gilbert and Sullivan productions was fun, too!
After many years of teaching English Literacy and English as a Second Language - including teaching English to international students at the Australian Ballet School - and working as a community development worker in the arts sector, Judi discovered circle dancing when she visited the Findhorn Foundation, an eco-village and spiritual centre in northern Scotland. Dance and the arts, generally, find everyday expression at Findhorn, and these aspects, plus a desire to immerse herself in intentional community life, led Judi to living there.
On her return to Australia, Judi held the dream of offering circle dance in Victoria, and this began with courses in Castlemaine. She has been enjoying offering circle dance with Melbourne City U3A since 2016.
Judi's dance focus has changed with age and, though still appreciating its lyricism and musicality, she feels its deeper mind-body connections and overall benefits for health and wellbeing.
