Michelle Young – Co-director & Yoga and Creative Dance

Michelle Young is a co-director of Over The Moon Yoga and Dance studios, together with Marlena Raymond.

Michelle 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 Doetea Mangiemele. 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 has teaching experience at Lieto Creative Dance with teenage dancers, and at OTM with the younger years.

From connections at Mangala she joined and performed with Travel Art Dance Company for many years. 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 at OTM 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. Michelle is devoted to honouring the lineage of movement established by Dorotea Mangiamele and finding ways of connecting and creating together.

Michelle is honored to be mentored by OTM Founder, Edna Reinhardt.

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

In July 2022, Michelle became a mother, she danced through pregnancy and labour, and continues to dance with her daughter every day.