Ballet star Kevin Jackson's new youth dance company giving Bunbury youngsters chance to pursue dreams

When the lights go down and the curtain opens, Amelia Oddy, 15, is transported to another world. With her hair slicked back, ballet shoes laced and a smile on her face as she takes to the stage, she’s ready to share an artistic journey through dance. A passion for dancing is all Amelia, main picture, has ever known and for the past three months, she has had the opportunity to mix with the next generation of stars as they learn from one of Australian ballet’s greats, Kevin Jackson. Known for his meteoric rise to fame as WA’s best male ballet dancer, Jackson recently retired from The Australian Ballet and returned home to mentor talent from across the State in a new youth company. The Perth Youth Ballet offers a space for 84 kids to come together for 31/2 hours each week and learn from a wealth of experience as the young dancers chase their dreams — with four of Bunbury’s own budding stars in the mix. Amelia makes the weekly trip with Jasmine Done, 14, Lily Anderson, 16, and Haruku Hoshi, 10, all of whom said it was so special to be able to perform what they loved. “Being able to be a part of this in Perth while living in Bunbury is a big deal,” Amelia said. “We auditioned just to try, we didn’t know if we had a chance of actually getting in because there were so many people there.” The youngsters from Bunbury’s Studio of Classical and Contemporary Dance are working hard to make their dreams of pursuing dancing a reality and are presently rehearsing for the company’s upcoming production, Emergence. “It’s a really great experience to be working with someone like Kevin,” Amelia said. “It’s so inspiring to learn from someone who has made it professionally and to have him put time into us.” “It’s definitely helped us get better and progress,” Lily said. “Working with a professional who is encouraging is nice because he has an expectation for us and it’s good to be in that environment.” Amelia said the dancers were all looking forward to performing in the showcase after putting in so many hours behind the scenes. “Being able to show people how hard you’ve worked is amazing, and not everyone who comes to the ballet is a dancer, so to perform something that everyone can appreciate and enjoy is great,” she said.