Focus on Dance Eduction
ADV is the premiere Australian society dedicated to the provision of professional dance education and examination syllabus covering:
- Classical
- Jazz
- Tap
- Contemporary
- Hip Hop
Syllabus and Assessment Programs
We are training the young dancers and teachers of the next generation.
We have 50+ individual lesson plans with embedded academic elements for nutrition, body science, safe dance and history for each dance genre.
The student is taught in a holistic manner with objective based assessments combining:
- dance performance and knowledge
- music theory
- student choreography
- open marking systems
- body science
- nutrition
- personal awareness
- critical thinking
- dance history
- musicality
ADV is an enriching program for young dancers ready for careers in and beyond pure dance.
Students are encouraged to improvise and choreograph and are assessed in a non-threatening environment.
Dance teachers welcome this approach as the student progresses at their own rate and in keeping with their physical and cognitive development.
Parents are encouraged to work their child and teacher to learn about career paths and qualifications beyond pure dance, leveraging energy and love of movement into fulfilling careers
Penny Lancaster, Founder, felt a comprehensive assessment program, Australian owned and developed, allows students to progress at their own pace in Australian educational systems.
Our new and pioneering approach to assessing young dancers creates a benchmark for a unique Australian dance society and syllabus service organisation.
We listen to our members including dance teachers, studio owners, government and independent schools and encourage their input into improvements of syllabuses and assessment processes.
We provide teacher and school/studio support through regular professional development workshops and our newsletter To The Pointe.
The people behind ADV
Penny Lancaster
President – Founding Honorary Director [life member]
Honorary Executive Director – Company Mentor/Syllabus co-ordinator.
“ADV is created by qualified Australian teachers for Australian teachers. A unique holistic dance program for everyone who loves to dance. And isn’t that everyone!”

Vicki Attard – Patron
Former principal of The Australian Ballet, Vicki heard of ADV through a dance colleague at The Australian Ballet who had become a teacher of the Australian Dance Vision syllabus.
She felt an immediate connection to ADV’s core values of promoting a well-rounded dancer and person through the incorporation of body science, safe dance and nutrition from a young age, supplemented by the importance of dance history and choreography.

John Lancaster
CEO/CIO/CFO – Honorary Executive Director
Dylene Rossi
Accounts/Office Team leader
Administration/Relationship managers
Dylene Rossi
Jyothi Shankar
Marsoray Rivero
ADV Technical Dance Assessors/Examiners
We have 16+ qualified technical assessors who meet our stringent guidelines for dance examinations and assessments.
Not for profit and tax deductible
ADV is a non-profit member-based co-operative dance society which has invested in improving methods for education and training of students and teachers of dance.
Under ACNC/ASIC authority, ADV is a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) organisation which can receive donations that are tax deductible.
All income generated remains in Australia and creates employment in the Australian arts industry. We aim to help potential dancers, creative individuals, choreographers, teachers, dance administrators and articulate, intelligent dance audience members. Our ultimate “stakeholders” are the next generation of young Australian dance performers.
external support
ADV acknowledges support from Apple®, Microsoft®, FileMaker® and the Lancaster family, The Ballet Society(NSW) [Friends of the Australian Ballet], the Sir John and Lady Proud Foundation, in provision of platforms, funding, donations & customisations and other intellectual property /licenses to help us service teachers, students, schools and other organisations served by ADV since 1990.