IT’S the end of an era for veteran ballroom dance teacher Penny de Kauwe, who’s hanging up her shoes, retiring from her dance school of 30 years and leaving town.She promises she’ll be back. “I’ve told my students I’ll come back once a month to teach them, and they’re happy with that,” she says. “It will be nice for me to come and visit, too.”

With two sons, and two small grandchildren, living in Sydney, Sri Lankan-born Penny says she’s keen to live closer to her family.

“I’ve had a fabulous time over the years, but I’ve put my other life on hold,” she says. “Sometimes I’ve missed important family occasions, like my brother’s 25th wedding anniversary, and my son’s 30th birthday, because of dance commitments.“They do understand; they say ‘oh, you and your dancing!’, but I’ve neglected my family for so long and I don’t want to miss these things with my grandchildren.”

As well as running the Penny de Kauwe School of Dancing, which teaches ballroom, Latin American, New Vogue and Street Latin dance styles, Penny’s also a coach and championship adjudicator with DanceSport Australia, a fellow, examiner and past president of the Federal Association of Teachers of Dancing, and an international adjudicator with the World Dance Council and the World DanceSport Federation.

Penny says that two of her students, Latin and ballroom dancers Alison Kemp and Vaughan Liddicoat, will take over the school after she leaves.

“I think Vaughan and Alison are the best people for the job,” she says.

“They know the students and they know how I teach, so it won’t be too disruptive for my students who have worked so hard at their dancing.

“I teach from 9am-12pm every day then from 6pm-10pm every night – well, not at the weekend, that’s sacrilege!” she says. “So I need a break. I want to rest, travel, enjoy my free time and just go from there.

“I’ve loved creating the school. And I love dance; I love the people, the artistic expression, the music, the movement of the body.

“It’s an achievement to start with little kids and get them up to the highest level of dancing; it gives me pleasure.”

Penny was recently awarded life membership of the Federal Association of Teachers of Dancing, and also received the Crown Award for her and husband Dr David Gunasckera’s contribution to dance in Australia, which she says came as a huge, but wonderful, surprise.

Having started the dance school in 1980 as a sideline while her sons were young, she says it grew beyond her expectations.

“No one has ever looked after my kids but me, and I wanted to be home with them,” she says. “We built a dance studio at our house so I could teach on a small scale, but it grew and grew.”

Part of the growth, she says, was the creation of the National Capital DanceSport Championships in 1993, which Penny and David were responsible for, along with the Federal Association of Teachers of Dancing.

“It’s sad to go, naturally,” she says. “My students have become part of my life, and there are some that I’ve taught since they were children, who met their husband or wife at the dance school, and now I’m teaching their children.

“But it’s the right time. I’m giving it all up for the right reasons.”