2019 Ballet Scholar

Throughout my training at The Australian Ballet School I have learnt the importance of skills such as determination, tenacity and being well-grounded and reliable; particularly during my graduate year. I have always put my all into my work and taken opportunities on board with maturity and a determination to succeed, a valuable skill that has often led me to fulfill positions that have been offered to me. In Level 5 I was invited to perform with the Level 6 students for our end of year performance of The Snow Queen. In the following year I was then asked to step into Balanchine’s Serenade with the Level 7 and 8 females for our September Showcase. I take a lot of pride in having the valuable skill of being versatile and flexible and being able to adapt to changes at short notice. My time at the school hasn’t been without its challenges, but I am very proud to say this has taught me grit and I have proven that I never give up. Every new year came with higher expectations and challenges, finishing academic years 11 & 12, preparing ourselves for our futures after we graduated from the school; but these challenges all taught me how to persevere and take it all in my stride. Everyday at the school has been an opportunity to prove yourself and learn and grow as not just an artist but a person as well. It is easy to sometimes feel that you aren’t enough or that your work ethic isn’t always seen or noticed but after trusting the process I believe this shines through for me.

As the end of my graduate year approaches, I am very much looking forward to using the skills I have learnt in the environment of a professional company whether this is within Australia or overseas.

In 2016, my family made the ultimate sacrifice to pack up their lives in Western Australia and move to Melbourne to support me on my journey through The Australian Ballet School. This  certainly wasn’t an easy decision, in order to make this sacrifice for me my parents had to quit their jobs, sell their home and fund the move to Melbourne along with the troubles of paying for accommodation in a caravan park for my first two and a half months of training at the school, while we tried to find our new home. To be the recipient of the BBM Scholarship would be such an honor and would provide welcomed assistance and a huge financial aid to my family which would allow me to continue to pursue my career and embark on an overseas audition tour in the coming new year.

Having the experience of learning from some of the most talented teachers and choreographers during this audition tour would be the most invaluable experience, I can only imagine the amount of experience and knowledge I could take from them after this experience and I know it will be cherished for the rest of my career. Something I would one day hope to give back to future generations of young professional dancers.

Depending on available audition dates, I am planning to travel to the United Kingdom firstly as I am very interested in the repertoire and opportunities companies over there have to offer, and from there I would like to do as many auditions as possible in Europe through January to roughly March or April.