How to Build a Career in Dance - From Passion to Profession | Kellie Singh TCDA

Ask most people what it takes to build a real career out of dance and you'll get the same answer: pick something more stable, this isn't a "real job." Kellie Singh built her whole career doing it anyway, and in this episode of The 20 Minute Career, she tells Jane Butler how a rented country hall turned into the biggest dance academy in rural NSW, a state business award, and a career her own daughter is now following her into. If you're a student wondering whether it's actually possible to build a real career out of a creative passion, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version. In this video I cover: ✅ Why dance wasn't seen as a "real job" in the 80s and 90s, and how Kellie built a career in it anyway. ✅ The moment a rented school hall turned into her own dance studio. ✅ Why she chose teaching over performing, and what that decision taught her about herself. ✅ Relocating to Tamworth and building Tamworth City Dance Academy (TCDA) from scratch with her husband. ✅ The real cost of building a business that takes over your whole life, and what it meant for her family. ✅ Why strengths matter alongside things like your ATAR, not instead of them, when it comes to choosing a career. ✅ How TCDA became more than a dance studio, and turned into a community. ✅ What Kellie would tell her twenty-year-old self. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 - What people get wrong about dance 0:38 - Kellie's early passion for dance 1:11 - Growing up in Inverell, and dance in the 80s and 90s 2:26 - Buying her first studio 2:52 - Choosing teaching over performing 4:39 - Relocating to Tamworth and starting TCDA 7:06 - The real cost: family, marriage, and building a business 10:33 - "Who gets to do that": passion and gratitude 11:12 - Why strengths-based thinking matters alongside ATARs 12:13 - Building a community, not just a studio 14:18 - Final five: fast questions 19:36 - Advice to her twenty-year-old self About the Channel: The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions. Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday. Connect with us: Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareer Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #DanceCareer #CreativeCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #TCDA #CareerGuidance #PassionToProfession #NonLinearCareer #DanceTeacher