About Us
About Us
Ascendant Dance Company was established at the start of 2021 in Melbourne, Australia by Gina Michael. The company is a dance training organization with a mission to provide aspiring professional dancers and anyone with a love for dance with quality dance education, performance opportunities and community events in a safe and supportive environment. ADC is dedicated to fostering confidence, positive growth mindsets, teamwork skills, and a strong work ethic within our offered programs in order to provide dancers with the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of life.
Gina Michael created Ascendant DC studios to introduce training programs to the Melbourne community that were lacking as she was training as a young dancer. She intended to create a community where dancers can pursue their passions and be mentored alongside like minded people. Today Ascendant Dance Company is a thriving centre of dance where dancers can learn and grow together not only in their technicality but in their mindsets, and experience a plethora of opportunities in the dance industry.
Achievements
Over the 2 short years Ascendant has been in action we have placed top 3 in both interstate and international competitions. Debuting at our first ever competition we took the Melbourne community by storm taking 2nd place in the adults division at ‘Step Off’ in 2018. After our initial success Ascendant held our first set of auditions. The team quickly grew from 7 to 28 members, with 17 of these members trained in 4 short months for their first international competitions. We jumped a plane to Cancún, Mexico to ‘Dancers Paradise’ where the team placed 3rd in the Adult Division. Ascendant DC has continued to flourish and now has 50+ dancers and continues to grow beyond expectations.
- Dancers Paradise 2019 – 3rd Place
- Step Off 2018 – 2nd Place
Varsity Elite team competed in the HHI program for two years consecutively traveling to the USA for the International finals.
Performance team showcased at Ego Expo, Australia’s largest street culture expo, and have traveled to Vietnam and the USA for training camps and showcases.
Competition/ Travel Team
Ascendant competition travel team ‘Dancers Paradise’ 2019.
Testimonials
Isabella
“I’ve been a part of the team for two years now and Ascendant is more than just a dance crew for me, they’re my family. The amount of love, support and care that I’ve received from every single person on this team is immeasurable and I know that someone always has my back.
As for my dancing ability and knowledge, I have improved and grown in ways I was not even aware of before I joined Ascendant. From incredibly talented and knowledgeable guest teachers including our director, multiple performances and other great opportunities, I have been challenged, pushed and ultimately rewarded.”
Joyce
“My name is Joyce and I have been with Ascendant for 2 years. All I can say that if you want growth, if you want to train with very passionate and friendly people and if you want the guidance of a very loving and support mentor that is Gina, that’s Ascendant. Honestly it’s been one the greatest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I feel like I’ve grown so much as a dancer and as a person.”
Zenia
“I joined the Ascendant DC team in November 2018, and I feel very thankful to be a part of this beautiful journey. From playing fun icebreaker games with a bunch of 25 strangers to forming some incredible friendships, I can honestly say that spending the last two years with this team has impacted me in a profound way.
In over two decades of dancing through school, University and as a working professional, I have not come across a teacher who I learnt more from than Gina. I have a lot of respect for Gina not only because of her insane work ethic, discipline and passion for dance but also because she actually cares enough to watch you and gives you specific feedback that you can use to strengthen your movement.
I am also grateful to Gina for gifting me the ability to connect to music in a much deeper, more intimate way, thanks to her amazing musicality. I used to just hear music before but now I can see music and as a result I am able to showcase it better through dance. From technical training in music and dance to developing the confidence to freestyle to any genre of music to learning from some of the best dancers in the industry, being in the Ascendant DC team is a holistic dance journey. Gina ought to be very proud of what she has created through this company as she is playing a huge role in equipping future dancers with a high standard of technique, leadership as well as essential life skills.
I want to make a special mention to the team, who has become more like family now, for if it wasn’t for them, surviving isolation and lockdown in 2020 would have been a lot more challenging. Experiencing everyone’s positive energy every week through Zoom and sharing our stories with each other helped maintain some form of normalcy and reduce my stress and anxiety levels immensely. Big ups to Gina for creating such a warm, welcoming space where we all feel safe to be ourselves and focus on what is under our control.”