One of Ballarat's brightest dancing talents will bid farewell to the city this week as she goes to full-time ballet school in Queensland.
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Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Chivers will spend all Year 9 at the Classical Coaching Australia academy in Brisbane. Leaving Loreto College behind, she will dedicate the next year to developing her talent.
Georgia Taylor, Charlotte's classical dancing coach, said her pupil was a "very special and rare student".
Charlotte has the capacity to become a tour de force on the world stage and I am beyond excited for her
- Georgia Taylor, dance teacher
At the Classical Coaching Academy, renowned ballet teacher Janine McGrath will take Charlotte under her wing. It is the next step in a dancing journey that began at an early age.
Her mother, Kelly Chivers, told The Courier that she went to South Street immediately from the hospital where she was born to see her sister performing. "She just came out dancing."
Charlotte started at the Kerry Moore School of Ballet in Ballarat at the age of three, where she has been ever since. She has picked up many accolades on the way, recently adding the intermediate title at South Street in September to the junior victory she had when she was younger.
WATCH: Charlotte's championship dance, performed at a recital at the Kerry Moore School of Ballet
"It was like a circle, being back at Her Majesty's. It was a nice icing on the cake," her mother said.
Backed by a grant from the Ballarat Arts Foundation, which has funded a vast collection of pointe shoes ("she just burns through them"), Charlotte will also head off to New York City in March to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix.
And the travels don't stop there: she has won a scholarship for a two-week intensive course at Princess Grace Dance Academy in Monaco next year.
It's been a bit of a ride but she's worked very hard to get there. The ride has just begun, really
- Charlotte's mother, Kelly Chivers
It is a year in which she is likely to encounter directors from the world's top ballet schools and companies - perhaps another step to life as a professional ballerina.
Ms Chivers said she feels a mixture of nerves and pride whenever she watches her daughter dance.
"She has always just loved dancing," she said. "I know how much work she puts in and how much work the teachers put in but it just looks effortless when she's out there on stage".
As for next year's travels, Ms Chivers said it would be nerve-racking to see her daughter go, but they were relishing the opportunity.
"It's been a bit of a ride but she's worked very hard to get there. The ride has just begun, really."
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