About Michelle and Marlena - incoming co-directors of OTM

Marlena and Michelle have danced together since they were three years old, and are dear friends on and off the dance floor.

They are particularly excited to be part of the diverse range of movement and dance disciplines that make up Over the Moon! 

Michelle Young has lived a life enriched by creative dance, yoga and arts practices that started in her early childhood. Michelle began her dance journey at age three at the very same Mangala Studios of Creative Dance and Yoga that Edna had attended years before her. Here she studied under the daughters and students of Edna’s teacher Dorotea Mangiamele. Michelle grew up in the Mangala community through to her teen years and early adulthood, where she took on various roles including helping teach in the 3-4yr old classes and being part of the administration team. Michelle taught a term of creative dance for teenagers at Lieto Creative Dance and also briefly helped in Edna’s children’s classes at Over the Moon.

From connections at Mangala she joined and performed with Travel Art Dance Company for many years before moving to Castlemaine in 2017. Here she experienced the beauty of multiple dance styles coming together, dancing alongside dancers with backgrounds in ballet, contemporary, physical theatre, hip hop, acrobalance and creative dance.

For Michelle, giving more children and adults the space to move, express and deepen their creativity is an honour and a privilege. Michelle feels that seeing and experiencing many forms of dance under the one roof is an incredible opportunity for students to discover something they may not have even been looking for! It is a chance to be inspired by the creative interplay of multiple disciplines. This marks a new chapter in Michelle’s creative exploration, in which she hopes to turn up for this beautiful community, honour the lineage of movement established by Mrs Dorotea Mangiamele and continue finding ways of connecting and creating together.

Michelle is a Perioperative Nurse and has been working at the local Castlemaine hospital, Dhelkaya Health, since 2017 in the Operating Room.

Last year, Michelle became a mother to the sweet and mighty Quinn Magnolia, with whom she danced through pregnancy and labour, and has danced with nearly every day since birth.

Marlena Raymond grew up dancing at Mangala Studios of Creative Dance and Yoga from the age of three. She has been deeply moved by the music and movement she experienced at Mangala, and these set her on a path for life. She has assisted at Mangala, studied classical music at The Conservatorium at The University of Melbourne and at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). Her teaching experience includes early childhood music, private and school flute teaching, and a middle school band program at a K-12 school. Marlena enjoys dancing with Travel Art Dance Company, an interdisciplinary group directed by Meah Velik-Lord comprising movers trained in ballet, hip hop, Feldenkrais and creative dance (and probably more!). She enjoys practising yoga and exploring spirituality and movement in many forms.

Edna Reinhardt, who will continue teaching at Over the Moon, will mentor Michelle and Marlena; they are honoured to receive mentoring from Edna.

Marlena is extremely grateful to Edna’s teacher, Mrs Dorotea Mangiamele, who emigrated from Germany to Melbourne and established the Mangala school in 1970. Marlena’s teachers are Peter and Sue Hockey, Claudia Mangiamele, Neika Huss, Meah Velik-Lord and the late beloved Amanda Burns; she thanks them for their teachings over many, many years. It is an enormous honour to continue the lineage of Mrs Mangiamele and her student, dear Edna Reinhardt.

Marlena is a lawyer in mental health and disability law and serves as co-chair on the board of a disability peak body. Marlena is passionate about dignity and respect for all people, in all areas of life, all of the time.