Several Glenbrook Ballet Theatre students performed on stage with Melbourne City Ballet on June 10, when the company was in Springwood during their national tour of Carmen.
Earlier that day the company held a workshop and audition at the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub in Springwood for ballet students aged 8 - 18 years.
Glenbrook Ballet Theatre principal Jessie Garbellini said the dancers learned choreography from the production at the workshop, with the company educators then selecting some students to perform with the company.
Five students and a graduate from the ballet school were among the eight dancers selected to perform on stage with the company that evening.
Ms Garbellini was also asked by the company director Michael Pappalardo to take the company’s warm-up class before the show.
“It was such a wonderful opportunity for the students to get to perform on stage with a professional company, and right here in the Blue Mountains,” she said.
The company manager and educators were so impressed with one of the Glenbrook Ballet Theatre dancers, Lara-Ann Kidman, that they offered an invitation for her to join either the Melbourne Institute of Classical Arts – the company’s performing arts high school – or the elite artist full-time program with Melbourne City Ballet after the workshop.
“This is an open-ended offer which Lara can take up at any time over the next few years,” Ms Garbellini said.
“It’s a dream come true and I’m so excited to see what the future holds,” Lara-Ann, 15, from Lapstone said.
Yvonne Hellmers, the programs co-ordinator for the Blue Mountains Theatre, said: “This was the first year we have hosted Melbourne City Ballet at the theatre and we were delighted with the engagement and professional opportunities the workshop and the production afforded local young performers.
“The theatre will continue their partnership with the company and they’ll be returning in 2019 to present a new production and to again hold professional workshops with young classical dancers.”
Glenbrook Ballet Theatre is still accepting enrolments for 2018. More information at: www.glenbrookballet.com.au.