August 26, 2014
Kingaroy girl Riley Priaulx felt confident she could become a professional ballet dancer after her first lesson with coach, Sue Harvey, in Brisbane.
The problem was, further lessons meant the 12-year-old would have to travel five to six hours at a time with a parent and they’d have to pay for petrol and food each time their daughter had a session.
Fortunately, Sue was happy to travel to Kingaroy and hire a hall if more children from the area wanted one-on-one attention.
They did and Sue came and coached Riley and some of her fellow Ally Walker Dance Academy students in June.
She is now set to return on Sunday (August 31) to continue working with any dancer who would like one-on-one attention.
Sue comes with great credentials. Former students now dance with Ajkun Ballet Theatre in New York, Queensland Ballet’s Pre-Professional, the Australian Ballet School and the Queensland Dance School of Excellence.
Riley’s father Marcus said his daughter has had three sessions with Sue and appeared to have improved with the added guidance.
“It’s Riley’s dream to become a ballet dancer and we’re only too happy to support her in any way we can,” Marcus said.
“We asked around and a bloke from the Australian Ballet recommended Sue. Riley loves going to Ally’s school but if she truly wants to make it as a professional dancer she probably needs to do extra work.
“She also loves the coaching she has with Sue.”
Marcus said Sue’s willingness to travel to Kingaroy was a huge bonus.
“It’s a lot to ask for a young child to travel to Brisbane and back on a regular basis and we have other family commitments,” Marcus said.
“We believe there are probably other families from around the area who would like to benefit from Sue’s expertise and hope they take the chance to do so on a monthly basis so we can all benefit.”
Individual lessons are $70 an hour but the cost can be split if two students of a similar level wish to share a class.
For more information, phone 0409-592-065.
- Related article: Sue Shares Her Ballet Skills
