As the first post on the revamped blog which is a combination of my old D2MG blog, my hiphop.org.au which turned into hiphopn.com, and dancing.net.au, I thought it fitting to write about how far we’ve come as D2MG since I took over in 2006.

Over the years it’s been a struggle, many sacrifices but also many joys that came with running D2MG as a dance academy in Sydney City, and there’s so much more to come for us in 2010. Lots of drama, lots of politics and rivalry were balanced with the good times we had, and the growing support that we receive from the dance community and beyond.

D2MG has grown its presence in the Sydney dance community and Hip Hop community, giving talented dancers the opportunity to spread their passion, and giving those new to the scene a chance to be part of our community. Our events have created opportunities for up and coming dancers to experience dance on another level, with the aim to motivate them to continue training and dancing.

D2MG is all about taking things to the next level. The way we do things is constantly being assessed and re-assessed; feedback from everyone is welcome and considered seriously and mostly incorporated into what we do – because we believe in having our supporters and members guide us in everything we do. So far, our innovations include:

• Next Generation Jams – an event for the next generation of dancers (since we don’t wanna call them newbies or amateurs) to showcase their skills in battle, while giving them the experience and motivation to aim higher each time they enter the event. They are given the opportunity to dance alongside the more established dancers and meeting all kinds of people in the Hip Hop scene in sydney.
• Breaking BY REQUEST classes – every Tuesday from 6pm to 7pm, the Breaking class is open to everyone of all dance experience levels, taught by a different teacher every fortnight, based on who the students want to learn from. Requests for teachers are made by emailing D2MG, and we organise those teachers to come in for a 2-week period, so that students can gain a variety of lessons from active bboys and bgirls within the community.
• Hip Hop Intermediate BY REQUEST classes – These classes follow the same structure for the Breaking BY REQUEST class, and a new teacher is invited to teach every 2 weeks.
• Street Dancer Alpha Jams – These jams are just for dancers of all styles, ages and levels to come to the D2MG studio once in a while and just dance, make friends with other dancers and learn some new moves.

It’s tough work, but I love it and refuse to give up! I thank all my biggest fans and supporters, most notably Luke, my family, Seymour, Froggy and the D2MG staff for sticking with me through the tough times and encouraging me to keep at it!

Trina