Support Malcolm's Dance Journey

Hello!

I'm Malcolm, and I am 10 years old from Brisbane, Australia. Dance is my greatest passion, and it has become a huge part of my life - ballet in particular.

It is my dream to have a professional career in ballet. I am dedicated to my training and am committed to achieving the highest standard possible.

Every day, I get up early before school to stretch and practice to continually improve. I have some wonderful teachers who push me out of my comfort zones and have instilled a great work ethic in me, so I'm always willing to “give things a go” and try new things.

Life at both school and dance studios can be tough at times. I'm often bullied for standing out and being “different”, however, being a male dancer is teaching me resilience and how to channel my life experience into movement.

Dance has become even more important and is my haven, being a place where I am free to express myself through movement.

My dance teachers have helped the studio become a place where individuality is celebrated and encouraged, and a wonderful place where I can get lost in the music and choreography. I never let the hurdles of exclusion and bullying from peers hold me back; I am fiercely driven and extremely dedicated when it comes to ballet. I never let the words of others stop me from striving to be the best person I can be.

Those who know me describe me as kind, compassionate and caring. You will always find me side of the stage/in the wings cheering on my friends as well as those I don't know/have just met at competitions (I love making new friends!). My positive energy and spirit radiate from within, and I have the bubbliest personality and am always ready to learn.

My next big steps to achieve my goals is to attend workshops, intensives and competitions interstate and overseas to network, enhance my technique, and seek the next level of future training.

I absolutely live and breathe all things dance and would love to train with a professional ballet school such as the Royal Ballet School or American Ballet Theatre someday.

The teachers and directors that I have encountered through workshops, holiday programs, my home studio, as well as adjudicators at various competitions, have told me I have what it takes to have a bright future in the dance industry and that this goal is attainable. I have recently received full scholarships for ongoing/year-round training at world renowned ballet schools (read updates for details and to view letters from directors), which show that I'm on the path to a bright future in the dance world.

2024 has been a fantastic year for me so far!

My year started by attending 'The Boys Summer School' at The McDonald College in Sydney, which ran for a full week. This was its 19th year running, headed by former principal dancer with the Australian Ballet Company, Adam Bull, along with fantastic, elite international teaching faculty.

It was an incredible experience for me to learn from world-class teachers and to meet other dancing boys from across the country and overseas. To have the opportunity to take classes with all males, taught by male teachers is extremely rare!

My current studio does not have a male ballet teacher, and as a male dancer, it's very important to get boy-specific ballet training for leaps, turns, artistry, and partnering.

I'm so grateful to those who helped make that week of training in Sydney possible for me, inspiring me for the year ahead.

Highlights throughout this year have been being accepted by the Royal Ballet School for their Spring Intensive in Hong Kong (April 2024), American Ballet Theatre for their Young Dancer Summer Workshop (July/August 2024), Ellison Ballet's Summer Intensive (July 2024) and United Ballet Theatre Academy's Summer School (July 2024).

I am incredibly grateful and excited for these opportunities, especially having received full scholarships for my tuition at these places!!

Another highlight has been winning the Junior Ballet Scholarship at Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge, with wonderful prizes to help me further my training.

I have learnt and improved so much from the Royal Ballet School's and American Ballet Theatre's intensives!

Due to the difficulty of opposite seasons from Australia to the USA and cost of accommodation, I wasn't able to take up all of my offers this year, though I am so grateful for the opportunities I've had to have learnt from two of the world's best ballet schools this year!

With all this said, my training is very expensive, as we still have the costs of flights and accommodation (my scholarships cover just the tuition) for my upcoming intensives in Sydney (The Boys Summer School) and Melbourne (The Australian Ballet School's Summer School) in December/January, as well as other overseas opportunities next year, and this is where you can help.

I'm reaching out for some support with my dance journey, and any amount small or big that's donated will make a huge difference.

My parents cannot fund the additional costs that come with my next stepping stones (in full) as it would be too straining on them.

I would be very grateful for any funding received so that I can work towards achieving my goals.

I will keep you updated on my dance journey, ensuring you can see how your donation contributes to my career path (and hopefully success!).

All funds raised will go directly towards travel and accommodation expenses (for me and one parent to accompany me) to further my training.

Please donate to help offset these expenses.

If funding does not reach our target, all funds received will be applied to the same goals and my family will make up the shortfall.

Thank you for your consideration and for being a part of my dance journey. You will be helping make my dreams come true. ❤️

You can also follow my dance journey on my Instagram page - @malcolmpdoyle