Talbot dancers on their toes for north competition

A score of Warkworth ballet dancers were nominated for nationals at this year’s Northland Performing Arts competition in Whangarei.

Dancing duo Maya Plesko and Katie Hawken, 13, from Talbot Dance Academy, performed their own ballet piece set to music from the French film, Amelie.

Academy director Carla Talbot says the girls kept up their five classes a week, in addition to private lessons and practice in their own time, in preparation.

“That’s what it takes to get the muscle memory to perform at the standard required,” she says.

Maja Plesko and Katie Hawken, 13.

The duo have been students of Madame Talbot for six years, receiving most, if not all, of their training from her.

“They both definitely show promise. I wouldn’t have taken them to the competition if I didn’t see their potential for the future,” Carla says.

To make the national PACANZ competition, a dancer must be nominated at a registered regional competition.

Anna Pallister, 16.

Another Talbot Academy dancer, Anna Pallister, 16, was nominated to represent Northland at nationals for solo performance.

In this category, dancers must perform a piece from a professional dance company to a high technical standard.

Anna performed the Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty and Gamzatti from La Bayadère. She was judged on her movements, musicality and interpretation.

A troupe of 11 junior students from Warkworth also received a nomination for a dance choreographed by the academy, where they performed multiple synchronised pirouettes.

The PACANZ event will be held in October 2020 which will give the girls time to prepare.

“We took a troupe last year and there is a lot of extra training involved. There is no bad dancing at the national event,” Carla says.