BARDEN Ridge teen Samantha Turpin, 16, has won several dancing awards at the 2014 Sydney Eisteddfod.
The Menai High School year 11 student competed against 60 competitors to come first in her division for contemporary and jazz dance.
She began dancing at three and has not stopped.
"Dancing is a way of expressing myself," she said.
"It provides an outlet for me to let go of all my emotions and just be myself."
Samantha credits her dance teachers and family for always being supportive of her dream.
"I love to watch people perform and my teachers are amazing," she said.
"My sister passed away in March, so that's really motivated me to do well — for her."
Her dance teacher Angelique Barry, from Dance Kinetic School of Performing Arts at Menai, has nothing but praise for her star pupil.
"Sam is always dancing from the heart and I believe that is what captures an audience," she said.
"We can see the honesty in her performances, and the love and passion that is burning inside her; she is breathtaking."
Along with balancing her senior studies, Samantha dances 17 hours a week, even practising before school.
"It's really hard sometimes but my dance timetable is very good.
"There are a lot of late nights," she said.
Despite her gruelling schedule, Samantha hopes to attend university.
"I'd love to dance for Sydney Dance Company, that's my ultimate goal, but I would also like to go to university and study sports medicine."
Ms Barry knows her talented student will do well in her dancing career.
"Sam is very talented and I know she will go very far in the dance industry," she said.
"Sam wants it! And that passion and drive is very important for a dancer."
