RISING local dance talent, Teagan Potter, has been selected to study at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
The 18-year-old Mount Mellum dancer auditioned for WAAPA after training at multiple dance schools and her mum Annie said she was thrilled to have been accepted to study a Bachelor of Contemporary Dance this year.
“Contemporary is her genre, that’s what she loves, they do offer other programs but that’s the one she wanted to do, she was awarded a secondment to the university,” she said.
“She joined the first Australian Dance Collective ensemble in Brisbane and stayed there for four years, then they awarded Teagan a secondment to trial for the course, and she loved it.”
Teagan started dancing at three years old at a small dance school across the road from her grandparents’ Peachester home, and her mum said she immediately fell in love with dancing.
“My mum lives in Peachester and she would look after Teagan when I used to work night shifts as a nurse, and she asked if she could take her to this dance place,” Annie said.
“I agreed as long as she was enjoying it, and she absolutely loved it, she took to it like a duck to water and hasn’t stopped since.”
Teagan has barely stopped pursuing her dream of professional dancing, working across dance companies, schools and even productions, which helped develop her skills. “She was a child extra in the Queensland Ballet’s Nutcracker for two years… she’s always danced throughout school at Unity College, and received the Principal’s Award in 2022,” Annie said.
He mum said how proud she was of her daughter and how contemporary dancing had benefitted Teagan mentally and physically throughout the years.
“I’m proud of her achievements but I’m more proud of her determination, she had struggled a lot with her flexibility, but she worked hard at acrobatics to try and improve her flexibility,” she said.
“I’m just really proud of her work ethic, she has this passion and this drive, and she hasn’t let anyone stop her, even those who have tried to bring her down.
“If you could see her dancing, I think you would understand… when she’s on stage this light comes on and you see this beautiful dancer and it gives her the opportunity to express how she feels.”
