Life & LeisureJul 13, 2026 – 5.00amMichelle Bridges is founder of online health business 12WBT and author of almost 20 books. She lives in Sydney.How did you get into dancing and how long ago?As a child I did tap, jazz and ballet. The first two I was quite good at, but ballet … well, let’s just say I wasn’t built for the job. I was also hurtling down the sideline of a hockey field, basketball court and netball court, so ballet wasn’t really my thing. I stuck with jazz and tap till around 12, but sport was my calling, and training for that took over. Then, at 14, I figured out a way to combine it all: I started teaching fitness classes. By my early 30s, I was a well-paid professional instructor in Sydney, working seven days a week, teaching classes of up to or more than 100 people.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles