I remember my family and two previous ballet teachers from my Toowoomba/Brisbane part-time training days (Dale Coles and Mary Heath) made the journey over with me – how lucky I was to have such support and care! (And of course, it made a good excuse for everyone to visit the UK!)

I vividly remember the experience, from the group classes to the private coaching sessions to work on my solos (all a little jetlagged!), to the actual competition sessions and excitedly entering via stage door.  Perhaps it was the adrenaline and sheer excitement of it all, but I do remember nailing a particular part of my semi-final solo from La Bayadere (the boisterous cabriole one) by relevé-ing into arabesque and not being able to come down! I just stayed, balanced en pointe, looking out past my fingertips into the cold London streets through the window, and the pianist held the note until I was ready to continue!

I believe that sustained arabesque balance was what sparked some interest from directors of various ballet schools too. My parents were approached by English National Ballet School who suggested I stay on in London after the competition and commence training with the school! However, the thought, as unexpected and thrilling as it was, was a little too overwhelming for my family and me so I opted for the path closer to home, being The Australian Ballet School the following year.

I made it to the final that year of the Genée Awards and I don’t remember feeling overly nervous or daunted by it all. I was just so happy and excited to be dancing on a beautiful stage in London, doing what I loved, and in front of my family. What a special moment for an inexperienced performer from Toowoomba!

I believe this competition has many benefits for students, teachers and ballet school directors around the globe. I was exposed to international tutors and gained confidence on stage, while teachers could benchmark talent and standard, and directors could headhunt.

I have such fond memories from Genée 1998 and am very proud to have been involved in something which was quite a pivotal point in my training and journey to becoming a professional ballerina over three companies in 13 years (Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, Royal New Zealand Ballet and 11 years with The Australian Ballet). So thank you, RAD, for the wonderful memories and launchpad into the ballet world!

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