Dance call for Kyogle
Starting a dance school just five weeks before the onset of a pandemic might have dampened the spirits of some new business owners, but Haylee Holliday took it as a sign that Ascent Dance Studio had to succeed.
“I knew there was a need and a drive from the parents and the community. I didn’t want to leave them hanging,” says the CEO and science teacher as she remembers how lockdown impacted her Kyogle dance classes.
“I tried to reason my way out, but I still felt really called to do it and I knew there was a purpose and passion there.”
It’s that sense of commitment to delivering a high quality, professional service to a regional town that has been her “driving force throughout,” says the Casino resident.
Haylee, 38, has been dancing since she was five years old, but teaching the art wasn’t high on her agenda until she was persuaded to give it a try two decades ago. Fortunately for her many pupils, who range from preschoolers to adults, she kept going, and when Kyogle’s dance school closed in 2019, she stepped into the breach.
It means juggling dance classes around her primary school teaching schedule, working evenings three nights a week to teach and co-ordinate her studio’s ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap and contemporary offerings like acrodance.
“I tried to reason my way out, but I still felt really called to do it and I knew there was a purpose and passion there”

With an eye for integrating tech into her small business – she was using QR codes long before they exploded in popularity – Haylee soon integrated Zoom classes into her offerings, delivering routine and exercise throughout lockdown. The classes gave her students a semblance of normality and stood her in good stead for the reverberations of 2022’s floods, which tore through the region and saw many of her students’ families involved in the clean-up and recovery effort. Maintaining weekly consistency and throwing a bit of fun into the mix has brought her even closer to her dancers, she says.
Watching the community pull together has convinced Haylee that she wants to make Kyogle her home, adding to the sense that “people are so invested in Kyogle. They love it and they want to see it grow.”
The same goes for her work. Haylee buzzes with plans for her business and her Community Performance Class dancers, who learn in a free class she holds for locals, will grace not one but two stages in 2022, performing at the Kyogle Rotary Bazar and the Kyogle Show.
Her next move is to secure a studio space for Ascent, giving it a permanent home, rather than using a local school hall.
She is happy to put more roots down in the region that has always been home, especially inspired by its thriving creative culture.
“I grew up in Murwillumbah and I always wanted to move out. Then I travelled around Australia and realised I lived in the most beautiful part of the country,” she says.
“This area pushes me to do better because I see the high quality and the love of the arts here.”
Share this story
Read more stories
Position, people, poached eggs and a president
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Caperberry_James-Allan-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Caperberry_James-Allan-scaled.jpgCaperberry and Flinders Rose
What makes an entire family move from three different cities to live together in a quiet coastal town? Great coffee.
let there be light
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/northern_lights-_ballina_northern_rivers_001.jpg 2000 1333 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/northern_lights-_ballina_northern_rivers_001.jpgNorthern Light
“I eat a pot of honey every day and I’ve been stung more than 70,000 times,” says Jeffrey Gibbs, founder of Northern Light, an organic beeswax…
‘can do’ marine
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpg 1920 1182 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpgHarwood Marine
About half way between Yamba and Maclean is the tiny village of Harwood, which sits on the peaceful banks of the Clarence River with its population…
You can judge a book by its cover
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CharlieFox-Co_Jess-scaled.jpg 1440 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CharlieFox-Co_Jess-scaled.jpgCharlie & Fox
When Jess Tunnage’s mother-in-law gave her a sewing machine for Christmas a few years ago, she had no idea how to use it.
Clean green superfood team
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Foods-That-Love-You-Back_Erle.jpg 768 1024 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Foods-That-Love-You-Back_Erle.jpgFoods That Love You Back
Health activist Erle Astrup founded Foods That Love You Back in January 2021, and her business – which has created the world’s first affordable, alkaline shot of concentrated microgreens – is infused with the passion she has for driving it.
sewing love for a lifetime
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/patches-kyogle-001.jpg 1232 816 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/patches-kyogle-001.jpgPatches of Kyogle
Jeannine Smith grew up under her mother’s sewing machine in Western Samoa. “My mother was a professional dressmaker,” says Jeannine…
collaboration and cooperative capital
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NCMC-workers.jpeg 1600 1066 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NCMC-workers.jpegNorthern Cooperative Meat Company
It comes as little surprise that one of the largest employers on the Northern Rivers is a co-operative, and with Casino being the beef capital of…
growing community, growing business
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/All-ways-The-Farm.jpeg 1600 1066 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/All-ways-The-Farm.jpegThe Farm
It’s a typical Saturday morning at The Farm, on the outskirts of Byron Bay. Families line up for freshly made pastry and coffee. Every table in the…
Three generations of style
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SCARBOROUGHS.jpg 940 627 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SCARBOROUGHS.jpgScarboroughs
Running a small clothing shop in a country town is a fine art. It requires balance, delicacy and an open mind to serve the needs of locals, tourists, the area’s workers and more.
love, peace and artisan cheese
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/nimbin-valley-dairy-003.jpg 666 500 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/nimbin-valley-dairy-003.jpgNimbin Valley Dairy
Not every goat in Australia has its own nutritionist and its own vet. But the goats at Nimbin Valley Dairy definitely do. Bill, the nutritionist…
From cobblestones to all-terrain cranes
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wicks-Parker.webp 1200 900 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wicks-Parker.webpWicks and Parker
Fast approaching 100 years old, the Wicks family business has helped build motorways and carry out emergency bushfire repairs, but it once hammered out steel bands for horse-drawn carriage wheels.
the power of the win-win-win sustainability approach
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ENV-Solutions_James-scaled.jpg 2560 1707 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ENV-Solutions_James-scaled.jpgENV Solutions
In less than seven years environmental consultancy ENV Solutions has grown from a one-man band in Ballina to a multi-award winning business with more than 25 staff across three locations…
let’s get physical
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpg 2000 1165 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpgGrafton Physio + Sport
You know you’re in good hands when you visit your physiotherapist and she turns out to be a world-class athlete. That’s the case for those who…
spellbinding growth for a home grown icon
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/spell_designs_byron_bay001.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/spell_designs_byron_bay001.jpgSpell Designs
The scent, texture and aura of Byron Bay is famous, and well-loved. If that Byron Bay feeling was a fashion brand, it would surely be Spell & The Gypsy Collective….
Keeping it real in the Tweed
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Real-Food_Julia-scaled.jpg 1706 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Real-Food_Julia-scaled.jpgTweed Real Food
Tweed Real Food is a business launched in 2018 from a desire to be resilient. Little did founder Julia Foyster know how prescient her plan would turn out to be.
eclectic food innovator shines
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Peter-at-the-Yamba-bus-stop.-July16.jpg 1030 1030 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Peter-at-the-Yamba-bus-stop.-July16.jpgNicholson Fine Foods
The small coastal town of Yamba is home to the one of the world’s best eating prawns, the Eastern King Prawn. It’s also home to the highest…
our kitchen rules in the heart of beef country
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/all-the-best-fine-foods-casino-001.jpg 1000 664 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/all-the-best-fine-foods-casino-001.jpgAll The Best Fine Foods
From little things big thing grow, goes the saying, and Casino-based business All The Best Fine Foods is certainly proof that humble….
spirit of the rainforest
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpg 960 540 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpgCape Byron Distillery
Let’s forget the beaches for a moment, as the true lifeblood of the Northern Rivers landscape is surely its rainforests, some of the most botanically…
Step back in time for ‘reel’
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Yamba-Cinema-Debbie-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Yamba-Cinema-Debbie-scaled.jpgYamba Cinema
Yamba Cinema is not just a popular venue to see the latest movie in an idyllic Northern Rivers town.
Community connection runs deep
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1.jpg 1644 848 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1.jpgConnect Business Solutions
Connect Business Solutions can be thought of as the glue that holds a business community together.