A young dancer's journey towards becoming a professional ballerina is a step closer after she was awarded the country's most prestigious ballet scholarship.
Georgia Powley, 18, has been named as this year's recipient of a scholarship to study with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Australian-born Powley has been dancing since she was 4 years old and studied at the Canberra Dance Development Centre for 12 years. In recent years she took up a spot at the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington, where she is now a second-year student.
The top ballet scholarship is sponsored by the Todd Corporation and is a gong that has been awarded to many young dancers who have gone on to continue a career in performance.
Another ballet student, 18-year-old Felipe Domingos, has also been offered a contract at the Royal NZ Ballet school.
