Eleven-year-old Zahra Cawley has certainly embraced online learning – it’s taught her a whole lot of dance moves and helped her lift some titles at the Evolution Dance Competition National Finals on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
The Broken Hill youngster – who’s also vice-captain at Morgan Street Public School – came away with four first-placings, plus a third, fourth and 10th across her different dance styles.
With dancers from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom taking part, some 3000 performers attended the RACV Royal Pines Resort, the biggest competition Zahra has so far taken part in, compared to Regionals in
Adelaide in August, but after a few first-up nerves, she settled and got on with the moves.
“It was really good but when we first walked in, there was so many people there and we’re just like wow, this is a very big comp, we’re not used to this because we’re from the outback,” Zahra told us.
“I felt really good though because when I went on stage in my first solo, I was like this is a tough competition and then I managed to get a first [place] on my first day there so then I was like, good start, and then just the next couple of days, I was surprised at how well I did.”
Zahra – who’s favourite styles of dance are contemporary and musical theatre – came first in song and tap, vocal, lyrical and open contemporary.
The unconventional aspect of learning dance through Zoom during the Covid period had its difficulties at the beginning, but Zahra soon became used to being taught by teachers who work at dance schools around the country.
The solos Zahra has learnt and performed, essentially all online, is a feat adjudicators at dance competitions are often amazed by.
“Probably when I first started it was difficult, because I was just doing technique-based stuff, I didn’t start learning my solos,” Zahra explained.
“It did take a lot of practice online because my teachers couldn’t physically tell me what to do, like to say I had to put my toes up, I couldn’t touch my toe to point it, I had to try and fix it myself.
“I started to fall in love with dance and then I just thought, this really is my passion now,” Zahra told us.
The youngster has big dreams to continue her passion for dance, already thinking ahead to future competitions, opportunities overseas, and attending a prestigious performing arts school in Melbourne.
A stint in New York’s world-famous Broadway isn’t outside the realms of possibility either for the girl who’s successfully embraced both online and on stage dance.
