A Mullion Creek teenager beat full-time dancers from Canberra to win the prestigious $2000 ballet scholarship at the City of Orange Eisteddfod.
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Claire Menzies, 17, danced 14 solos at the Eisteddfod in four days and said she hopes to use the scholarship to further her ambition of getting into a full-time dance school so she can pursue her dream career of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
To qualify for the scholarship Claire had to perform in at least four dance sections and she took part in the ballet championship. She was one of 24 dancers in the scholarship competition, of whom seven were selected to dance on stage.
"I was pretty spellbound, I didn't realise it was my number that was called," she said about her win.
I was pretty spellbound, I didn't realise it was my number that was called.
- Claire Menzies
Claire has been doing ballet since she was two and has competed in the eisteddfod since she was eight.
The year 11 student trains under Suzanne Duffy at Colour City Dance and practices for about 10 hours a week after attending school at James Sheahan Catholic High School, and on weekends.
However, she said it was nothing compared to the "full timers" she competed against, who train for 40 hours a week.
Music sections coordinator Margaret Williams said quite a lot of scholarships were for people from the Orange and Canobolas region so the funds would be fed back into the Orange community.
"Quite a lot of our scholarships are local, to win you have to study dancing and music in Orange that's because some of our sponsors would like their money to stay in Orange," Miss Williams said.
"But that's not for all scholarships and money they win goes to their teacher or their school, wherever they go for tuition."
Quite a lot of our scholarships are local, to win you have to study dancing and music in Orange.
- Margaret Williams
She said both music and dance could be expensive when the cost of lessons, instruments or costumes were taken into account.
Eisteddfod president Carol Smithers said competitors could only win each scholarship once so there were new scholarship recipients each year.
Although there are geographically limited scholarships in dance Mrs Smithers said not all were limited because the eisteddfod attracted competitors from across NSW, particularly from Canberra, the Blue Mountains and Sydney.
"It's been quite a while since we've had a local [dancer] who has won that $2000 ballet scholarship because its open to anyone," Mrs Smithers said.
"They have to enter a certain number of sections and then enter in the championship."
She said most of the scholarships and prize money for championships, which the students keep, was donated by various sponsors including large businesses as well as independent people and families.
Vocal and Instrumental scholarships:
- Ann McFarland Memorial Senior Piano Scholarship 18 years and under $1000 - Elizabeth Kwa
- Junior Piano Scholarship 12 years and under $600 - Oliver Hyde
- Doris Webster Memorial Junior Vocal Scholarship 17 years and under $750 - Piper Want
- Harry Sloggett Memorial Brass Scholarship 13 to 18 years $1000 - Eleanor Giger
- Junior Brass Scholarship 12 years and under $500 - Hamish Milne
- Senior Woodwind Scholarship 18 years and under $1000 - Calista Krkac
- Junior Woodwind Scholarship 12 years and under $500 - Grace Simpson
- Senior Strings Scholarship 18 years and under $1000 - Elizabeth Kwa
- Junior Strings Scholarship 12 years and under $600 - Reuben Kelly
Vocal and Instrumental championships:
- Junior Vocal Championship 12 years and under first Sanvi Timsina, second Abigail Johnson, third Sienna Flannery
- 25 years and under Vocal Championship (In memory of Jack and Alison Dutton) first Amelia Bland, second Jacinta Smith, third Piper Want
Speech and Drama awards:
- Junior Scholarship, Claire Halpin - Bathurst
- Senior Scholarship, Natalia Burgess - Bathurst
- Banjo Paterson Championship, Toby Gough - Bathurst
- 40th Anniversary Adjudicator's Junior Award Dorothy Grounds - Orange
- 40th Anniversary Adjudicator's Senior Award, Toby Gough - Bathurst
Dance scholarships:
- Ballet Scholarship - Claire Menzies, Mullion Creek
- Jazz Scholarship - Fletcher Browne, Bogan Gate
- Tap Scholarship - Rohan Hazelton, Amaroo
- Senior Local Scholarship - Jade Branwhite, Orange
- Intermediate Local Scholarship - Eloise Middleton, Orange
- Junior local Scholarship - Eloise Harrison, Cargo
- Sub-Junior Local Scholarship - Fergus Johnson, Orange
Championship dance winners:
- Ballet - Junior Niamh Hill, Jerrabomberra
- Intermediate Hayley Ricks, Jerrabomberra
- Senior Ethan Black, Conder
- Modern Junior Brianna Priest, Orange
- Intermediate Bridie Hanrahan, Mudgee
- Senior Verity Hall, Faulconbridge
- Contemporary Junior Eloise Harrison, Orange
- Intermediate Matilda Backus, Dubbo
- Senior Fletcher Browne, Bogan Gate
- Jazz Junior Eloise Harrison, Cargo
- Intermediate Matilda Backus, Dubbo
- Senior Fletcher Browne, Bogan Gate
- Tap Junior Brianna Priest, Orange
- Intermediate Ashley Larsen, Bathurst
- Senior Rohan Hazelton, Amaroo
- National Intermediate Ashley Larsen, Bathurst
- Senior Jackson Hughes, Bathurst
Pointscore winners, dance:
- Six years Teal John, Bathurst and Arabella Fyfe, Mudgee
- Eight years Eloise Gwynne, Orange
- 10 years Claire Taylor, Wallerawang
- 12 years Brianna Priest, Orange
- 14 years Matilda Backus, Dubbo
- Open Rohan Hazelton, Amaroo
- Junior Local Brianna Priest, Orange
- Senior Local Isabel Francis, Orange
- Dance HQ Eloise Harrison
- Colour City Dance Ruby Duffy
- Central West Performing Arts Junior Brianna Priest
- Senior Isabel Francis
Special dance awards:
- Most Promising Ballet Junior Niamh Hill, Jerrabomberra
- Senior Hayley Ricks, Jerrabomberra
- Most Promising Jazz Junior Ellie Hodges, Orange
- Senior Emilie Delaney, Orange
- Most Promising Tap Junior Brianna Priest. Orange
- Senior Teoni Schleibs, Kelso
- Marj Salter Encouragement Award Junior Martin Mangsa, Orange
- Senior Shayla Winwood-Smith
- Most Promising Male Ballet Dancer Flynn Fisher, Orange
- Betty Callaghan Most Entertaining Ruby Duffy, Orange
- Collins Trophy for Open Competitor Charlotte Clarke, Orange
- 40th Anniversary Adjudicator's Award Junior Gabrielle Bennett, Wentworth Falls
- Senior Gabriella Biviano. Orange
Major sponsors:
- Orange Regional Arts Foundation, McDonalds Orange, Orange City Council, Orange Regional Conservatorium, Kingfisher School Gear, Shaw Family, Newcrest Mining Cadia Valley Holdings, Peter McFarland and Lloyd Edge.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
