Kei Ikeda is a qualified Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) 6-12 educator with over 10 years experience as a lead guide in the Montessori classroom.

 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Dance and English combined with a Bachelor of Education from the University of New South Wales. Kei was awarded the Wilma Firth Prize for the most outstanding achievement in Bachelor of Dance Education Program, University of New South Wales.  

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In addition to her work as an educator, Kei has performed and collaborated as a dance artist with notable choreographers and companies such as Sue Healey, Opera Australia, Stompin Youth Dance Company, Murasaki Penguin and Jennie Feyen. She continues to pursue projects as a dance artist with an interest in creating interactive installations that engage everyday people with movement. 

 

Kei met dance as a child and completely fell in love with the freedom and expression that comes with the artform of dance. Throughout her childhood and adolescence dance played a major part in her life, offering a medium through which she could connect with both herself and the world.

 

A chance introduction to Montessori education came about through a choreographer with whom Kei had worked. It immediately sparked interest as an educational approach that would support the development of life skills that paralleled the skills needed in dance making: collaboration, following one’s interests, making choices, problem solving and improvising. Isn’t life after all one big improvisation? 

 

In her Montessori teaching practice, Kei found that the children were openly responsive to the improvisation based tasks and were mesmerised by the dance phrases they created. 

 

Kei is passionate about making dance and movement as a form of expression available for all children and adults. In addition to her work with children and educators, Kei also volunteers for her local community’s Dance for Parkinson’s classes. 

 

An active member of the Montessori community, Kei has been a member of the Australian-Thai Montessori Supporters Group since 2021 and contributes to the monthly online network gatherings.