Maleny Performing Arts Centre inspires triple talents to shine

Kirsty and Kester Chalkley with members of the Maleny Performing Arts Centre.

Business Writeup by Janine Hill

IN the business of performing, they call them triple threats: those exceptionally talented individuals who can sing, dance and act.

Kirsty and Kester Chalkley prefer to call them triple talents and they like to help produce them.

Since the Chalkeys arrived in Maleny they have given many students the chance to develop their skills and confidence in music, dance and drama.

Mrs Chalkley is the driving force behind the Maleny Performing Arts Centre, which offers about 30 dance classes a week in genres including ballet, hip hop, acrodance, tap and contemporary, as well as lessons in cheerleading and musical theatre.

Mr Chalkley, a primary school teacher, also teaches dance as well as music: piano, guitar, and strings.

Throw his tuition in with the MPAC and that is about 60 lessons a week the Chalkleys are responsible for offering the aspiring performers of Maleny and surrounds.

The couple arrived in Maleny about five years ago after having both worked as dancers and teachers. 

Mr Chalkley, who attended the Australian Ballet School, and Mrs Chalkley a contemporary dancer and cheerleader, formed a duo and travelled widely teaching dance and speech and drama to students at regional and remote schools.

The pair wound up in Maleny after Mr Chalkley studied primary teaching and was placed as a student teacher at The River School.  They decided Maleny was the perfect place to settle down and raise a family.

Mrs Chalkley opened Heartspace Performing Arts with 30 dance students but was soon overwhelmed with the response.

“I had a week where you could come and try as many dance classes as you wanted and by the end of the week, there were 100 students,” she said.

She changed the name to the Maleny Performing Arts Centre because she felt it should “belong” to the community which had supported it.

“It’s really good to be contributing to the community with something I feel very passionate about and sharing my passion with the community I love,” she said.