Jugiong’s Megan Roberts will represent Australia during a week-long dance festival in the Czech Republic.
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Megan will be dancing at for the New Prague Dance Festival as part of an Australian team of 18 dancers brought together by Sydney’s Elizabeth McGirr’s School of Ballet.
Ms McGirr is an international examiner with the Royal Academy of Dance.
The ballet troupe will compete at the dance festival against others from around the world before spending a few days sightseeing.
Megan, 14, has been learning ballet since she was seven years old and in preparation for her overseas adventure has been rehearsing three times at week.
“I’m working with a big group, 18 of us,” Megan said.
It means the dancers will have to work together as a team, which requires an awareness of what everyone is doing. Over the last three months, Megan has travelled to Sydney to rehearse the dances the group will be doing in Prague.
“We’ve got to co-ordinate it together, we’ve all got to be in time and no one can be out of place,” she said.
Three dances have been planned for the festival, a classical, the cancan and a jazz piece – the troupe will also be learning traditional Eastern European dances.
Megan said she was excited “and a little bit nervous as well”.
“I’ve never been to Europe before so it will be great to see a whole new side of the world,” she said.
As well regular rehearsals with her ballet troupe, Megan has been spending three nights a week rehearsing at Chris Edwards School of Dance.
Megan’s ballet teacher Miss Chris said she was extremely proud of her student.
Megan was selected to go overseas following an examination by Miss McGirr – a longtime colleague of Miss Chris. Megan will be the youngest of her family to head overseas by herself.
“She’s wanted to do [ballet] from when she was small,” her mum Julie said.
“Her three older brothers are involved in other things, and she wanted to do her own thing.
“It will be very strange to have one of the children missing from home for nearly three weeks.”