Lake Cathie Public School teacher Jay Pringle is a former Australian dancer

Mr Pringle has been training in dance since he was 10-years-old. When he was 13-years-old he began to train full time in the sport, doing his high school work by correspondence.

His hard work paid off when he was selected to be part of the Australian Ballet School, based in Melbourne.

It was there that his passion for dance was really fostered, as he learnt about different styles and got into performing for musical theatre.

In 2000 Mr Pringle moved to Port Macquarie with his wife and in 2004 they set up their own dance studio.

Mr Pringle said it's been wonderful to hear from many of his former students, who have gone on to excel in their own dance careers.

Looking back at his time at the Australian Ballet School, Mr Pringle said it was a pretty competitive environment, as dancers were constantly trying to showcase their skills.

Mr Pringle said ballet dancers are known as being very athletic.

"I thrived off the unattainable perfection of ballet," he said.

The dancers were sometimes called upon by AFL teams, to teach players how to jump and improve their marking of the ball.

Mr Pringle underwent a teaching degree at university and did an internship at Lake Cathie Public School.

During his first year Mr Pringle helped students prepare for the dance festival.

He was offered a temporary position as a teacher in 2016 and has been at the school ever since.

Recently Lake Cathie Public School has experienced success at the Port Macquarie Dance Eisteddfod, under Mr Pringle's guidance.

He said he enjoys witnessing the students grow skills, confidence and coordination.