As a young 3 year old girl, commencing dance classes at her country dance school, a position at the Royal Ballet School would have seemed an unreachable dream. However, 12 years on, Meg Newton was not only offered a place in the Upper School at the Royal Ballet School, she also received offers from the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco and the John Cranko School in Stuttgart.
Tim Podesta of Projection Dance School, says of the tough decision Newton faced, “I think having to make a decision on which of these incredible schools was definitely a challenge. Whenever I am choreographing overseas I always send pictures to our Projection Dance School social media pages so the kids have access to the wonderful world of dance. I think Meg was always drawn to the pictures of me in the Royal Ballet Company studios and now she is one step closer to dancing in the company studios one day herself”.
Newton’s appointment caps off a stellar few years during which she competed in the Alana Haines Australasian Awards (AHAs) in New Zealand and the Youth America Grand Prix. She also completed a two week scholarship with the Hamburg Ballet School in Germany, offered as a prize for reaching the finals of the AHAs. She was subsequently offered a full-time place at the school but returned to Australia to continue studying at Projection Dance School.
Newton will take up her position at the Royal Ballet School in September and is looking forward to the challenges, while being grateful for all the support she has received. “I love what I do, I love the hard work and I embrace the challenges that come with wanting to be a part of something special. I make many sacrifices but the outcome in the long term of travelling the world doing what I love easily makes up for what I may be missing out on now. I have so many amazing people to thank, who have supported me during this journey and I see this success as being as much for them as myself.”
Pictured top is Meg Newton. Photo: Michael Esplana.