Introducing our JOKSOD Cecchetti Scholars 2023

Indigo has been a JOKSOD student since she was 3 years old and this is the first time auditioning to become a Cecchetti Scholar. She is currently working on her Grade 5 Cecchetti examination after receiving a high score honours for her Grade 4 exam.

Indigo says: “Having the opportunity to be a Cecchetti Scholar means the absolute world to me. This is something I’ve dreamt for and to have this come true is just incredible. I’m looking forward to learning and growing as a dancer and I cannot wait to meet some incredible teachers that will help shape me in many ways. I’m extremely grateful.”

Ava Scott has danced at JOKSOD since she was 3 years old and has achieved numerous accolades and awards during her dance journey. Ava has been part of the Australian Ballet School ITP program for the last three years and has been lucky enough to feature in the Australian Ballet Company’s Harlinquinade performance in 2022 and the Australian Ballet School’s production of Butterfly. Ava is currently working on her Grade 6 Cecchetti exam after achieving a high score honours for her Grade 4 and 5 exam which she took in the same year.

Ava says: ‘It makes me feel very proud of myself to be picked to be part of the scholars program. I'm really excited to learn from all of the wonderful teachers.’

Macy began dancing at JOKSOD at the age of 9 and has fast tracked her training over the last three years catching up with her peers very quickly. Macy successfully auditioned for the Australian Ballet School ITP program last year and has begun her training in 2023. This is the first time Macy has auditioned for the Cecchetti Scholars program after receiving a perfect score of 100 for her Grade 4 exam and the Coral Brown Excellence Award.

Macy says: ‘I’m so surprised and delighted to be chosen as a Cecchetti Scholar, I’m so grateful to my teachers for supporting my dance journey and helping me become the dancer I want to be. I cannot wait to attend my Scholars classes and learn from all the amazing teachers each month.’

Lucie has had much success auditioning for the Cecchetti Scholars program and has participated in it every year since doing her Grade 4 Cecchetti exam. Lucie has also been part of The Australian Ballet School’s ITP program for the last 4 years. She has received many dance awards throughout her journey, including the Junior Ballet Championship Award at the West Gippsland Dance Festival. Lucie is currently studying to complete her Intermediate Cecchetti Ballet exam this year.

Lucie says: ‘I am excited to be a Senior Scholar this year after 4 years in the junior programme. I love the opportunity to experience classes from Artists who have performed all over the world, every class is different and you always learn something new each time.’

Sam has enjoyed so many Cecchetti experiences over his dance journey so far, including being chosen as a Scholar for the last 4 years, winning many awards and medals plus being chosen as the Vic representative finalist for the prestigious Lucie Saranova National Award in 2022. Sam has also been part of the Australian Ballet School’s ITP program for the last 4 years and was invited back as an Invitee for 2023. He’s also been part of the Queensland Ballet Academy’s guest associate program for numerous years.  Sam is currently studying his Intermediate Cecchetti Ballet Exam this year after achieving 99 out of 100 for his Grade 6 exam last year – an incredible achievement.

Sam says: ‘I love being a Scholar - this is my 5th year and each year is different. It feels special to be selected from dancers all over Victoria. I love the guest teachers we have - they all teach me something different and it’s always challenging! I am very grateful each year to dance in these classes with my friends from JOK too.’

This is the first year for Alannah as a Cecchetti Scholar after achieving an incredible 99 out of 100 for her Grade 6 Cecchetti exam last year. Alannah has been dancing at JOKSOD since she was 3 years old and has enjoyed participating in many special events and awards. Alannah is now working towards her Intermediate Cecchetti Ballet exam.

Alannah says: This is my first time as a Scholar so honestly I don’t really know what to expect, but I know what an honour it is and I was so excited to be chosen. For me it’s another chance to work on further developing my skills and technique. It helped me realise all my hard work in classes is finally starting to pay off and show in my dancing and that has given me more motivation to keep working hard to follow my dreams. It is proof you should never give up if you really want something

Ash has been dancing since the age of 3 at JOKSOD and has successfully auditioned to be a Cecchetti Scholar every year since completing her Grade 4 exam. Ash has attended and excelled in numerous Cecchetti events over the years including being a finalist in the Young Dancers Award in 2018. She has also been part of the Australian Ballet School’s ITP program from levels 1 to 3 and a guest associate for the Queensland Ballet Academy. Ash is currently working towards her Advanced 1 Cecchetti Ballet examination after achieving a high honours score for her Intermediate exam in 2021.

Ash says: “I am proud and honoured to be chosen as a Cecchetti scholar I take a lot from the classes with amazing teachers.”