Belinda Cooper

I started dancing at the age of seven with jazz dance, though contemporary was always in the mix since my teacher was a former member of the Sydney Dance Company. My passion for dance was sparked even before I began formal training. My mum took me to an end-of-year show at my dance school, where I saw older women performing a beautiful contemporary piece. That’s when I knew I wanted to dance. By the time I was 10, I was fully involved in both jazz and contemporary dance.

During school holidays, Mum would take me to workshops at the Sydney Opera House, where I learned from choreographers like Paul Saliba and Stephen Page. Stephen Page was only just starting out then. These workshops were incredible experiences where we would do classes, create movement, and then stage it for our parents at the end of the week. It became a regular part of my school holidays and shaped so much of what I still carry with me as a dancer.

While jazz and contemporary were my focus, I started learning ballet to prepare for my audition for the Bachelor of Arts (Dance) program. My ballet teacher was a former Bluebell Dancer in Paris, and she taught me the basics I needed to get into the program.

In high school, I did work experience with Bangarra Dance Theatre, although it was called NAISDA (National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association) back then. I spent a week taking classes, observing rehearsals, and getting a feel for what it was like to perform on stage. My first professional experience came when I was an extra in a Michael Clark production at the Seymour Centre. I was young, and it was a bit shocking since the performance was quite provocative, but it was an incredible introduction to the professional world.

After earning my Bachelor of Arts (Dance) from Nepean, I joined 2 Dance Plus, a dance education company, where I worked for five years and eventually became the Assistant Artistic Director. I later moved to Melbourne to gain more performance experience, working with Sandra Parker at Dance Works, where I was for about five years. Along the way, I had an amazing opportunity to understudy for Meryl Tankard’s final tour, performing in Furioso and Possessed at Sadler’s Wells in London. It was an unforgettable experience.
After dancing professionally for eight years, I decided to step away from the industry at 28. The constant uncertainty of project-based work and financial instability took a toll on me, and I eventually transitioned into full-time retail work, leaving dance behind.

In 2019, after moving to Adelaide the previous year, I found my way back to dance through Move Through Life (MTL), now Dragonfly Dance. I hadn’t danced for 20 years, but I started again with contemporary level 1, and it felt like coming home. Since then, I’ve been back in the studio, rediscovering my love for movement.
I then joined the Move Through Life Performing Company for Windswept in 2021, and choreographed for the company in 2022 (Coming Up, Coming Down) and in 2023 as part of Midnight at the Blue Star. In 2023, I started teaching contemporary class for Dragonfly Dance.