Students take on national competition

Three emerging young ballet dancers from the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) in Southbank will perform on the national stage this month as part of an internationally-renowned dance competition.

15-year-old Amelia Menzies, 13-year-old Ethan Abud-Schimming and 12-year-old Milei Lee are preparing to represent Victoria at the Sydney Opera House on December 10 in the National Genée Dance Challenge finals.

The three students were recently selected to be Victorian state finalists in the Royal Academy of Dance’s nationwide final as part of the prestigious Genée International Ballet Competition.

Returning to Australia after a 10-year hiatus, the competition has helped catapult the careers of young ballet dancers worldwide and is recognised as an international launch pad for professional careers in dance.

All three dancers told Southbank Local News that they were very excited to have the opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage, with the youngest Milei Lee describing it as a shock.

“It’s really exciting because I was one of the youngest contestants in the competition so it was a bit of a shock!” she said.

Four other VCASS students, Olivia Castagna, Luke Dimattina, Lily Folpp and Holly Frick, will also travel to Sydney to compete having been successful in achieving the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance’s Solo Seal award.

These students will compete in the academy’s annual flagship event in the Genée International Ballet Competition on December 11.