Abbey Sloan of Cootamundra, a student at Cootamundra High School, will be one of four student choreographers at this year’s School Spectacular in Sydney. She will also be a featured dancer at this year’s event. The journey to this success is an inspiring story.
The expression, ‘a gifted artist’, has special meaning. Rachael Sloan, Abbey’s mother, described Abbey as ‘a natural’. From the age of three, Abbey loved to dance. ‘At no stage did I have to urge her to class or to practice. It was the reverse; any suggestion of missing a class produced an instant response!’
This enjoyment and enthusiasm could be seen in her developing skills as a dancer. There was more than skill and movement involved, however. From an early age, Abbey had ‘stage presence’.
This ‘presence’ is hard to define and difficult to teach. The three-year-old who loved to dance, grew in confidence at Christine Wishart’s School of Dance. That ‘something extra’, looked for by adjudicators at competitions, was linked to this presence.
It is something like being at home on the stage, even to some extent, owning the space, an ease and connection that invites the audience in. Christine and Kate Collingridge would have sensed this in the young girl who was to spend sixteen years as their student and, eventually, their colleague. Abbey had begun with Tap and Jazz, then Ballet and Contemporary. A love of movement and rhythm extended to other dance styles. There was no Hip Hop at Christine’s school when Abbey started. She taught herself this style and began to teach others.
Rachael described how an ability to communicate and encourage led not only to teaching younger students, but also to leading and supporting fellow dancers. Abbey’s role as a choreographer at this year’s Schools Spectacular is evidence of these gifts.
It is something to have a gift, another thing to work and develop that gift.
Rachael has been with Abbey on that journey.
There have been competitions and Eisteddfods to attend and all the obvious and hidden contributions a parent provides. Rachael and Abbey’s teachers are justly proud of what she has achieved.
At the beginning of this year, as well as sitting for her HSC, including HSC Dance, achieving a level 6 (the highest level), Abbey was required to provide a video of her performance for four major Dance Studios. Abbey was accepted for all four studios and chose Transit Dance in Melbourne, a Pre-Professional Performing Arts Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance), a two year course.
Brittney Longmore, Abbey’s teacher at Cootamundra High School, also gave her reflections for this article.
Brittney noted that the Schools Spectacular will take place on 29th and 30th November. The event will be screened on TV on 14th December.
Abbey’s family, Christine Wishart and Kate Collingridge, her friends and Brittney and Cootamundra High School join with Brittney’s final words: ‘Good luck, Abbey! We can’t wait to see where you will go.’
-Richard White