This year, 26 district sporting legends are being inducted to the hall of fame, honour roll and junior honour roll categories in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. The News is featuring stories on each of the inductees in the lead-up to the induction ceremony on August 6. Today News reporter Liam Nash speaks to Sam Brown, who is being inducted to the junior honour roll.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
When Shepparton’s Sam Brown takes to the ballroom floor heads turn.
His fluid movements enrapture crowds with each liquid step — the stage is where the 18-year-old looks most at home.
He’s fresh off taking out three Australian DanceSport titles in the under-21 age group at the 2021 Victorian Championships on May 1, adding a trio of feathers to a cap startlingly crowded for someone his age.
No wonder he’s being lauded as one of the nation’s finest prodigies by DanceSport Australia.
What makes this astounding reputation even more impressive is the fact he’s chalked it up in a little more than a decade.
“I was seven years old watching my older brother Rodney enjoying dance and getting results, so I thought I would try,” Brown said.
“And as any younger brother does, I was trying to outdo my older brother.”
Brown’s competitive edge has been supplemented by an abundance of natural ability.
Performing at the highest standard in all age groups he’s danced in has resulted in championship wins at local, state, interstate level and beyond.
While he now practices three nights a week with weekend lessons in Melbourne on top, Brown’s first footsteps on the dance floor were tentative.
“The training was actually pretty light on early, because no kid wants to spend hours a week at the dance studio,” he said with a laugh.
He’d soon trip the light fantastic after receiving a rural and regional scholarship from Dance Sport Victoria aged 10.
As for his fledgling finesse, that was honed right here in Shepparton.
“Growing up, I was extremely lucky that Excell Dance Studio was around in Shepparton,” he said.
“It was a great place to go to and we were fortunate to have that environment in a country town, especially as the dance industry is dominated by big cities.
“If it wasn’t in Shepparton I wouldn’t have got into dancing in the first place.”
Leading the line at Excell then was brother and sister duo Jeremy Garner and Amanda Costa.
The former took Brown beneath his wing — and he’d have been hard pressed to find a better mentor.
As one of Shepparton’s fleetest of feet, traversing Broadway and winning international competitions became the norm for Garner during his touring days.
“My coach and mentor, Jeremy Garner, has been a crucial part of my dancing journey since the start,” he said.
“From teaching me dancing skills, to life lessons, to how to conduct myself — he has been instrumental.”
It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Brown, though.
Living so far from the state’s dancing epicentre has thrown up many a challenge, making the teenager's climb to stardom that extra bit laborious in comparison to his city counterparts.
“There was a definite disadvantage coming from the country,” he said.
“We were lucky Jeremy was commuting from Melbourne to be able to give lessons as he is a very high-quality teacher.
“There aren’t many competitions here, so Melbourne kids don’t have that journey to make.”
Those long hours on the road were all made worthwhile in 2018.
Strutting his stuff on the national stage, Brown rose to be crowned champion at the Australian DanceSport Championships aged 15, sealing his first taste of national glory.
“Holding up the trophy and saying, ‘we won this’ was such a great feeling,” he said.
Touching such a height only fueled Brown’s hunger for success.
His upward trajectory is a subject of the rhythm coursing through his veins, so when the coronavirus pandemic put the kibosh on dance, a part of his world was stolen away.
“I’ve been blessed to not sustain any serious injuries throughout my career, but having months off dancing was very challenging,” he said.
“I was hungry to get out there, but I wasn’t able to go to the studio to practice due to them closing.
“That was a big roadblock, but we’re on the right track now.”
When Brown says we, he is referencing long-time dance partner Berkley Wood, who resides in Bendigo.
Time spent apart during COVID-19 would have left an excess of rust for most dance partners to knock off.
But given the nature of their relationship, returning to the floor was like riding a bike for the pair.
“We got together after not dancing for months and it just clicked straightaway,” he said.
“In the early years it was just two kids dancing like any littlies do.
“We were put together at a young age — this is our eighth year dancing together — I feel like that longevity has really brought us to a point where we know each other so well.”
Brown recently moved to Bendigo to study physiotherapy at La Trobe University, bringing him closer to Wood.
And though his next destination is not yet set, he is training like no tomorrow for whatever bright lights await.
“Lately it’s been nonstop just trying to practice because I definitely want to take things overseas,” he said.
“We’ve had a couple of opportunities to go in the past, but school or even my age has got in the way.”
Doing any and everything to expedite his journey to dance's summit, the drive Brown has within him is second to none.
That unadulterated perseverance, coupled with a fierce passion for his craft has taken him near and far — and at 18, it's impossible to place a ceiling on him.
“It’s all about constantly trying to improve, learning new things and practicing them to a point where they are polished; that’s the way I am,” he said.
“I don’t really get sick of dancing and it is something I will probably never get sick of.”
Brown wished to thank his parents who’ve put in an immense body of work to help him reach his current stage.