With a passion for the transformative nature of the arts on people of all ages, Carolyn Obst has been working as a dance artist and educator for over 30 years. Her specialist training was in contemporary dance, graduating with a BA in Dance from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University. Carolyn also holds a BEd from the University of South Australia.
As a professional dancer and choreographer, Carolyn developed her strong commitment to Dance Education from her work with Tasdance in Tasmania and receiving a grant from the Australia Council and SA Department for the Arts to study in New York and America.
Returning to Adelaide, Carolyn worked with Outlet Dance as resident choreographer and created the work Wotz in the Box for the 6th daCi (Dance and the Child International) conference in Sydney.
As a freelance artist, Carolyn taught and choreographed throughout Australia and Asia and worked with Dance Spectrum and Tanjong Katong Girls school in Singapore. Carolyn was the SA representative at the inaugural Greenmill Dance Festival in Melbourne. She has directed music festivals and lectured in Dance at the University of Adelaide, AC Arts, Tabor Adelaide and Launceston Institute of Technology.
For 12 Years Carolyn held the position of Head of Dance at Westminster School, Adelaide, where she established thriving and innovative curricular and extra-curricular dance programs. Carolyn initiated a Dance touring program (2011, 2013, 2016, 2019) to the renowned Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival in the USA and New York. Enjoying and preferring to work collaboratively in her creative process, Carolyn’s shared approach celebrates diversity and inclusivity.
With a personal focus on dancer well-being, Carolyn was awarded a McDonald Fellowship in 2016 to travel to Bhutan to study the country’s Gross National Happiness policy. She applied this knowledge into school well-being programs and integrated concepts into her own dance practice.
More recently Carolyn coordinated the e-resource project for Garry Stewart’s Australian Dance Theatre, providing teaching and learning materials based on the productions South and The Beginning of Nature and has returned to Australia after spending 18 months choreographing and teaching in the UK.
As an empathic, compassionate, freelance artist/educator, Carolyn’s current professional practice involves choreography, teaching and directing with a continued focus on the well-being of the individual and encouraging access to Dance for all.
Work with Restless
- Guest Artist, Emerging Artist project, 2025
- Assistant tutor City Links, 2025 – Present
- Education Executive 2026 – Present
To book in a Restless Dance Theatre workshop for your students or team contact Carolyn on education@restlessdance.org or for more information about our tailored workshops and how Restless can work with you please read more here.
“Restless creates dance that is inclusive of everyone, utilising everyone’s strengths. When dancing I felt included, supported and loved by everybody around me as everyone supported each other. I am really thankful for the opportunity to see the passion each instructor put into their dance.”
– Secondary student, St Ignatius College