Hallam dancers Andrew Nolo and Michael Zinner will represent Australia with their partners at the 2009 World Ten Dance Championships in Russia. 23746
By Kelly Yates
Andrew Nolo from Berwick and Michael Zinner from Pakenham, with partners Shannen Clarke and Taylor Ferguson, will take their ballroom dancing to the international stage for the first time in their dancing careers, competing against couples from every country around the world.
Andrew, 16, and fellow dancer Michael, 14, each started dancing at Bagheera’s The Dance Place in Hallam at the age of four.
Andrew and Shannen, who have been dancing together since February, will represent Australia in the youth section, which is for dancers aged 16 to 19 years.
Andrew, a year 10 student at Beaconhills College, told the News he was over the moon about representing Australia.
“I’ve already begun counting down the days,” he said.
Both couples won the right to represent after winning the selection competition in Sydney on 4 and 5 October.
Andrew said his training schedule and dance lessons included five to six sessions a week, dancing for up to four hours per session.
The avid sportsman also enjoys soccer, tennis and swimming and says he would like to study music, performing arts and sport at university.
Andrew’s coaches include Hallam based teacher Malcolm Batty, Shane Hocking, Kym Smith, Jim McPherson and Larry and Kerry Clarke.
Andrew said it was the ability to express his emotions through dance that made him love the sport.
“Ballroom dancing has been classed as the second hardest sport in the world to cross country skiing,” he said.
Andrew said his goal for the 2009 World Youth Ten Dance Championships was to be ranked in the top 25 to 30 couples in the world.
The World Ten Dance Championships is judged over ten ballroom and Latin American dances: waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz, quickstep, cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.
Michael and Taylor will join their fellow dancers in the quest to bring home the title.
The duo will be jetting to Russia in March to compete in the 2009 World Junior Ten Dance Championship against dancers aged 13 to 16 years.
Michael said they would be training through the Christmas period for the competition, with the guidance of coaches Malcolm Batty, Kerry Clarke and Wayne Douglas.
A proprietor of Bagheera’s The Dance Place Bernard Brickhill said the studio was very proud of what the dancers had achieved.
“We’ve seen Andrew and Michael grow up and work their way through the dancing ranks,” he said.
“It’s great to see them get this pleasing reward at this stage in the careers.”
Both couples are practising for the upcoming Australian Dancesport Championships to be held from 8 to 14 December at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne.
