‘The happiest place on earth’ will soon be ‘where dreams come true’ for
22 Ipswich dancers heading to Disneyland in December.
The Dancetime Studio dancers will be dancing down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland, California, in the Christmas parade, along with performances at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida.
The Brassall studio’s Kim Taylor said the studio’s dancers have been accepted to perform overseas on three previous occasions but this is the first time the dancers have the opportunity to dance in the Main Street parade.
“It just so happens it will be their Christmas parade that we will be performing in, which is very special. We sent our audition video in and were accepted by Disneyland. They then sent us the choreography for us to learn. They have a lot of strict guidelines so the dancers will be at a professional standard,” Ms Taylor said.
For some of the dancers, this experience could lead to further opportunities.
“One of our previous dancers, Tahlia McCoy, who performed in our 2014 trip, was awarded a 12 month contract with Shanghai Disneyland,” she said.
Aliesha Hartley, 23, (pictured) has been dancing with Dancetime Studio since she was three years old.
“It’s a dream come true to dancing with all the cast members and professional dancers from Disneyland. You can’t ask for anything better than that,” Ms Harley said.
During the last 20 years, Ms Hartley has journeyed from being one of the youngest to the oldest performers at the studio.
“I also teach at the studio, so it’s really fulfilling to dance alongside my students. I love being the oldest one now and it’s a blessing that I am able to share this with them,” she said.
From time to time Ms Harley has dreamed of running off and being a Disney princess full-time.
The dancers have been granted a Young Performing Artist Bursary from Ipswich City Council to assist with costs associated with the trip. The bursary is offered to performing artists for skills development, performance opportunities and competition and fosters community inclusion and participation.
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