Bangalow ballet dancer turned teacher returns to the place where it all began.
At five years of age, Briony Guest twirled across the wooden floor of the Bangalow RSL Hall, her tiny feet following the rhythm of the music. She didn’t know it then, but this was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with ballet.
“My nan always wanted to be a ballerina, so she ended up taking me to class, and I fell in love with it straight away,” she says.
Her love for dance only grew over the years. Hours of training and focused dedication led her to a prestigious full scholarship to Macdonald College Performing Arts School in Sydney in 2020—a milestone that set her on the path towards a professional ballet career.
But just as she was finding her footing, the COVID-19 pandemic forced dancers across the country to train from home via Zoom. The isolation and inconsistent training took its toll.
“My training was so fragmented over COVID, I ended up getting an injury,” she says.
Scans revealed Briony was born with an extra muscle behind her Achilles tendon, and while surgery wasn’t an option, physiotherapy helped manage the condition. But her dream of a professional ballet career was over. Down but not out, she turned her focus to teaching.
“I studied for two years with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and graduated with a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies,” she says. “I’ve also just completed my Acrobatic Arts certification too.”
Fate had more surprises in store. As she prepared to return to Sydney for her teaching graduation, she unexpectedly ran into her former ballet teacher, Miss Holly—the very person who once guided her at the Bangalow RSL Hall. When Briony shared that she was now teaching in the same space, her former mentor was overcome with emotion.
“I haven’t seen her since I was about 12 or 13 when I left that school. I told her, ‘I went to Sydney, I graduated, and now I’m teaching at the RSL Hall where you taught me.’ And she just started crying.”
“She said, ‘I always knew you were going to make it.’ It was such a special moment—to know that she had believed in me all along.”
Now, as Briony watches her students take their first ballet steps in the hall where her own journey began, she knows she is exactly where she is meant to be. Teaching has given her a new purpose—one that extends beyond technique and performance.
“I get them ready for ballet exams, productions, and our end-of-year concerts,” she says. “It’s very rewarding.”
Briony is aware that body image and confidence are intrinsically connected to the world of dance, and teaching young people comes with great responsibility. She is conscious of creating positivity and passion in her students, fostering a love of ballet and making the practice more inclusive. She is shaping the future of ballet in Bangalow—one young dancer at a time.
“As a teacher, I want to be a mentor for the kids and show them that you don’t have to look a certain way. As long as you love it and try, that’s all that matters,” she says. “We’re all beautiful.”
Instagram @brionyguest_dance