Miss Zoe’s School of Dance is marking a major milestone, celebrating 20 years of nurturing young dancers and building a community-focused, non-competitive space where the joy of dance comes first.

The studio officially opened its doors on August 1, 2006, a date that studio founder Zoe McCarthy still remembers clearly. 

August 1 falls on a Saturday this year, the perfect excuse, she says, for a big birthday celebration.

“I always wanted to have a dance studio,” McCarthy said.

“I grew up in a really lovely, relaxed environment where it was all about the dancing – not competitions and exams – and when I moved to the Illawarra, I realised there wasn’t really anything like that here.”

At just 20 years old and still studying at university, McCarthy decided not to wait. Balancing uni, another job, teaching classes and running the business, she took a leap of faith and opened Miss Zoe’s School of Dance earlier than planned.

“It was very full on,” she laughed. “But there was such a need for it. People really connected with the non-competitive, non-selective environment we created, and we’ve just rolled with it ever since.”

Over two decades, the studio has grown alongside its students – many of whom started dancing as preschoolers and are now adults, teachers, and even parents themselves.

“That’s probably what hits home the most,” McCarthy said.

“Seeing students grow up, and now having some of them bring their own children back to dance here. It just shows the environment really meant something to them.”

The studio expanded from Wollongong to Kiama in 2018, a move McCarthy says felt natural given her own upbringing in Jervis Bay.

“Kiama has that strong community feel,” she said. “It’s very family-oriented, and people really embraced us. We’ve had so many students come back after taking breaks to try other activities.”

Now operating across Wollongong, Kiama, Coledale, with new spaces opening this year in Calderwood/Tullimbar, Miss Zoe’s School of Dance continues to prioritise flexibility and inclusion, allowing students to come and go as their interests change and return when the time feels right – without pressure.

Beyond dance classes, the studio has become deeply embedded in the local community, regularly supporting schools, charities and fundraising initiatives. 

McCarthy has led long-standing involvement with organisations such as the Cancer Council, Relay for Life, Stars of Wollongong, local homeless services, food drives and school events.

“That’s always been really important to me,” she said. “I love to be able to give back to the community that supported me to get where we are today.”

McCarthy believes the benefits of dance extend far beyond learning choreography.

“You see confidence grow so clearly,” she said.

“Kids who can’t even walk into the room by themselves at first, and then suddenly they’re on stage, front row, thriving. 

“And the friendships – some of the strongest friendships I know started in a dance class.”

To celebrate the 20-year milestone, the studio will host a birthday celebration on August 1, inviting former students, teachers and families back to honour the occasion. 

Miss Zoe’s School of Dance will also present its first combined end-of-year concert, bringing together all studio locations.

The performance will feature memorable routines from across the past two decades, re-performed as a full-circle, nostalgic celebration.

“It’ll be like flipping through a photo album,” McCarthy said. “We’ll revisit routines from 2006 right through to now. I know I’ll be crying.”

McCarthy reflects on both the highlights and the challenges, particularly navigating the studio through COVID.

“That was definitely the hardest part,” she said.

“But I try to see everything as a learning curve. It changed how I view things and opened new doors and other ways of different technology that I hadn't really had to do before.”

Miss Zoe McCarthy with her Australian Women's Small Business Champion Finalist Award

The studio’s impact has also been recognised through ongoing local and national awards, including multiple wins and finalist nominations at the Illawarra & South Coast Local Business Awards and the Australian Small Business Champion Awards.

Miss Zoe’s School of Dance was named Most Outstanding Dance Studio in 2018, 2019 and 2023, with continued finalist recognition across 2024 and 2025.

“We feel so lucky to have been part of this community for so long,” she said. “It’s been really special – and we hope to keep dancing with the Illawarra for many years to come.”