NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA – Dance studios often mirror an ideal of a perfect line, turn, and the polished perfection of ballet or contemporary training. Sophie McKie is changing those reflections. As a dance teacher, competition judge, artist, and advocate of inclusivity, she is transforming the ideas of movement, learning, and belonging within the dance community. With her teaching, social media presence, and creative work, McKie is challenging dance to be a technique and more – the creation of spaces where everybody is visible, respected, and empowered.
Founded by McKie, Milibelle is a creative advocacy brand that merges art, education, and inclusivity to reshape the dance conversation.
From Student to Advocate
McKie’s dancing journey began with the same rigorous training many young dancers are submitted to, but the term has always felt larger for her. Today she says she is “Dancer – Inclusivity advocate, dance teacher, judge & artist,” denoting a career of performance, teaching, and advocacy. Her professional identity cannot be separate from her mission to create access to dance-life conversations, inclusion – meaningfulness for every student-dancer, irrespective of body type, experience, or background.
Instead of focusing on dance as a competitive field or art form, McKie uses dance as a medium for personal development. The spirit in which she coaches values respect, creation, and emotional intelligence just as much as technique. She wants dancers to take lessons learned in movement into the world beyond the studio.
A Philosophy of Teaching Based on Inclusiveness
There is more to McKie’s classes than just stepping and sequencing. These dances are aimed at simultaneously getting dancers in their very best and also building confidence and awareness. She even collaborates with other education brands to create resources that help teachers build inclusive classroom environments. Bolstered by her lessons and resources shared online, she extends her reach well beyond the studio doors. Her social media affords the perfect opportunity, given her use of Instagram and Threads, as an extension of her classroom for disseminating hints, demonstration videos, and musings related to teaching and dance culture.
A Box Where Advocacy Happens
Milibelle’s commitment to inclusiveness is not merely theoretical. She works to influence the culture of dance education and performance. For example, she encourages judges and educators to evaluate dancers fairly across all body types and to recognize artistry and skill over narrow aesthetic ideals.
With an online presence that embodies collaboration over competition, her work is a reflection of her way of thinking. One post expresses the very core of her ethos:
“It’s about making it feel right,” she wrote on Threads, reminding dancers that performance and training should feel authentic, safe, and empowering.
By bringing teaching together with judging and advocacy, she is changing not only the studio she teaches at’s students, but also the dance community at large, inspiring teachers and judges alike to view inclusivity as fundamental to their work.
Building Community
Through her brand Milibelle, McKie’s work resonates across the artistic scope, inspiring dancers and educators alike. Her classes, posts, and resources have nurtured a community that values respect, accessibility, and artistic expression above rigid perfectionism. Students don’t only learn technique; they learn how to frame competition, performance, and self-expectation through pride. Teachers take away a set of strategies helpful to develop inclusive environments and engage students with different needs and abilities.
Her collaboration reaches all sectors of the arts community. She very often encourages collaboration and exchanges with other dancers, teachers, and artists toward building a network that resonates with her. Consequently, her philosophy continues to ripple outward, influencing a growing network of educators and dancers who describe her approach as transformative.
Digital Plus Real Life: Two Equivalent Forces
Social media has become a powerful platform that Milibelle uses to share lessons, advocacy, and inspiration. She can share lessons, artistic inspiration, and insights with Instagram and Threads, enlarging the scope of the studio she teaches at. Usually, posts present visual demonstrations paired with thoughtful commentary, thereby extending classroom interactions into online discipline. Having this blending of digital and real lends strength to both teaching spheres even as her student teaching advocacy gains wider access, ensuring that there remains a personal link with students.
“Art, lessons & resources for dancers + teachers,” her Instagram bio reads, and indeed, the work she undertakes aims at educating both dance students and those that actually teach others.
Challenges and Future Goals
Yet if successes exist for Milibelle, there still remain barriers in place that seem to stop passage. Dance as an industry continues to recognize thin definitions of beauty and ability. The work is, therefore, a constant negotiation between pressures, trying to find ways to create spaces that allow inclusion without reducing artistic integrity.
Going into the future, she plans on opening up her educational resources, bringing forth more workshops for teachers and dancers alike, and pressing on with her fight for inclusive judging in competitions. Her iterative mission means that with every project, there is an opportunity to solve issues, expand accessibility, and inspire a more fair-minded dance culture.
The Vision Forward
This particular case of Sophie McKie teaches us that dance sits way beyond steps, turns, and medals. She is teaching, advocating, and building her digital brand to redefine what it means to be in the dance world. Every class, post, and collaboration she offers reflects a vision in which all dancers can flourish, all bodies are respected, and art becomes a means of inclusivity—where empowerment replaces exclusion.
Milibelle was founded in memory of one of McKie’s students, Mili, whose kindness, love, and inclusive spirit continue to inspire the brand’s message. What began as a tribute to her has grown into a movement celebrating compassion, belonging, and the belief that every dancer deserves to feel seen and valued.
For dancers, teachers, and enthusiasts who want to follow her work:
- Instagram: @milibelledance
- Threads: @milibelledance
- Website: www.milibelle.com/dance-teacher
