Promising ballerina Jessi Seymour will join the Royal Ballet School in London with plenty of confidence, after winning a big competition at the Sydney Opera House.
Jessi, 16, from Bonnet Bay, has been offered a place at the Royal Ballet School in London – one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world.
During her final competition in Sydney, before departing, Jessi wowed the judges at the 2017 Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship competition, which was held at the Sydney Opera House at the weekend.
She won the competition and $18,000 in prize money, which will go towards advancing her dream of becoming a professional ballerina.
“To win that competition before leaving for London is just insane. We are still walking on air,” Jessi’s mum Linda Seymour said.
Mrs Seymour said it was her daughter’s dream to become a professional ballerina and she was thrilled to be joining the Royal Ballet School from next month. Jessi visited the school at the start of the year and, following a good performance at the Prix de Lausanne competition in Switzerland, was offered a place at the school for the next three years.
“To have gotten into the Royal Ballet School, that was the dream. So for three years she will have to work really hard, and at the end of those three years she will hopefully get a position with a company.”
Jessi said she was rapt to win her final event before flying to England. She said ballet was something she simply loved doing.
"While ballet is something I love performing, it's also something I can lose myself in. It's both for an audience and at the same time personal," she said.
She won the competition at the weekend by performing La Esmeralda's Variation from La Esmeralda, Act I and a contemporary solo performance entitled Dusk.
To have gotten into the Royal Ballet School, that was the dream
- Jessi Seymour
“La Esmeralda is an exciting variation to perform. There are lots of theatrics, a tambourine to really work with the music and dramatic sequences.
“The character of Esmeralda is nice too, a generous person with a good heart. I love everything about this piece.”
The event’s $36,000 total prize value would not of been possible without the generous support provided by sponsors The Guillermo Keys-Arenas Dance Trust and The Scott Family Bequest.
Jessi has been dancing since she was 2, and joined Sydney’s Alegria Dance Studios full-time when she turned 14 to take her dancing more seriously. She has been training with Hilary Kaplan and Archibald McKenzie at Alegria Dance Studios.
