By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE stage has been set for a talented Casey dance student.
Emily Ryan from Backstage Dance Academy in Narre Warren has been awarded a full-time scholarship to Spectrum Dance in Burwood, where entry is by audition only.
The 17-year-old dancer, who has a performing arts scholarship at Beaconhills Berwick, will now have a greater opportunity to acquire agency representation and work with industry professionals as she tries to launch her career.
Backstage director Jessica Solomon said the sky was the limit for Emily.
“Emily is really proving herself at our dance studio but also in the education side of things.
“She got a performance scholarship to Beaconhills and she was also asked to audition for VCE Top Acts last year.
“She’s definitely got potential and she’s very tall, which opens doors overseas but also for things in Australia.
“There’s a lot of corporate work she’d be really suitable for, as well as performing at theme parks and on cruise ships.”
Emily’s success follows that of fellow Backstage student Sophie Beaty, 11, who is now represented by MP Talent.
Sophie recently received a scholarship to attend the Australian Ballet summer school in January and will also be performing in the Melbourne City Youth Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty in February.
“This year’s been pretty outstanding for someone so young, and she has a lot of different achievements,” Ms Solomon said of Sophie.
“She’s one of those students that you know is going to succeed and excel.
“She’ll definitely get dance work in the future, the hard thing for her will be to choose which path to go down – she’s so good at ballet but Broadway would also be so good for her
“And she’s also showing great potential for casting and movies.”
