Lily Bones-Gonscak, who has danced in 10 countries including Spain, Slovakia and Britain over 18 years, was a guest teacher in Wodonga this week.

Now living in Sydney, Bones-Gonscak said there were many memories of the Julie Glinski School of Dance.

"There's a barre in the studio I used to stand at when I was 10; there was a picture of me in The Border Morning Mail standing at that same barre," she said.

"I caught the bus from Lavington to Wodonga six afternoons a week for three or four hours at the studio.

"Dance is good for country kids and for life skills; it teaches kids to finish what they've started and to go after a dream."

Together with Slovakian husband Jan Gonscak, Bones-Gonscak has a daughter, Tara, 10 months.

A breast cancer survivor, Bones-Gonscak urged young dancers to be self-aware about their health.

"I was just 30 when I found a lump in my breast," she said.

"My surgeries failed because the cancer came back but alternative therapies have worked for me.

"I was still able to be competitive internationally and at 36 I got chosen in the Slovakian dance company ahead of women who were 10 years younger than me."