Headshot for Michelle Heine

Michelle Heine

Embracing everything in dance, choreographer and mentor, Michelle Heine started out as a dancer in a ballet company, then went on to dance in multi-million dollar extravaganzas in Sun City in Southern Africa. Now many of her students are following in her footsteps of success all over the world. Since the late 1980’s she has been a prominent and highly regarded talent on Canberra’s dance scene with her own studio, “Legs” Performing Arts Studio, formerly based in Tuggeranong but now based in Hume. Students have gone on to make their mark on the world stage such as the Lido, Moulin Rouge, Tap Dogs, Dance Academy, H20 Just Add Water, Jupiter’s Showroom, professional musicals, film, television, RAW Metal, cruise lines and Universal Studios. Her students have performed and competed in Las Vegas, Disney World, Hawaii, Kuala Lumpur, China, Disneyland, Los Angeles and the Gold Coast. In 2014 her students took a trip to Florida to perform on a cruise ship and Disney World in Orlando plus dance tours to China every 3 years since 2000.

Michelle’s career highlights include choreography for the Master Games Opening Ceremony, University Games, National Tourism Awards, Centennial Federation Parades in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra plus many musicals. Credits include My Fair Lady, Les Miserables, Chicago, Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Oklahoma, HMS Pinafore, Pack Up Your Troubles, Music Hall, Dancing at Lughnasa, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Hello Dolly, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Boy From Oz, Legally Blonde, Barnum, the Australian Premier of Winging My Way To the Top, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Wicked, a 3rd return to Les Miserables, 42nd Street, FAME, Shrek, Priscilla, My Fair Lady (Free-Rain), Spamalot and as Associate Director and Choreographer for Kinky Boots and Mamma Mia!

Michelle was awarded the CAT Award for Best Choreographer for Legally Blonde in 2014 and Wicked in 2016 and has been nominated every year for the past 6 years. Michelle was honoured with the top gong, the Golden Cat Award at the 2020 Canberra Amateur Theatre Awards for her work in Musical Theatre, Community Theatre and Legs Performing Arts over the past 30 years. Michelle was awarded a Canberra Arts Critics Circle award for her choreography in West Side Story, 42nd Street and Mamma Mia!. Legs Dance Studio was awarded the Chief Ministers Inclusion Award in 2009 for their work with the Down Syndrome and Special Needs Dance group, the Legs Dream Team, now in it’s 17th year. Michelle is one of the Musical Theatre Judges for the Ovations Awards.

Productions