NZ School of Dance student selected as one of the 2024 Emerging Practitioner Award recipients
The Acorn Foundation and the trustees of the FAME Trust are pleased to announce the selection for the 2024 Emerging Practitioner Award recipient at the New Zealand School of Dance. Seven promising students are selected each year from top-rated performing arts schools in New Zealand to receive $10,000.
Dancer and educator Aylish Marshall is this year’s recipient from the New Zealand School of Dance. Aylish is a talented and diligent student, with a deep passion for dance. Aylish also loves sharing her skills, working at several dance studios around Wellington as an instructor.
Head of Contemporary Dance at the New Zealand School of Dance, Paula Steeds-Huston, was effusive in support of Aylish’s selection.
“Aylish is one of our most outstanding dancers who is fully dedicated to her art form. She has proven herself to be a pivotal and valued member of our whānau here at the New Zealand School of Dance. I know she has a bright future ahead of her and will be a vital contributor to the art of dance in New Zealand upon graduating next year.”
Aylish is originally from Adelaide, Australia, and moved to New Zealand to study at the New Zealand School of Dance. She competed in a number of national competitions in her native Australia, as well as spending four years as a member of the Australian Dance Theatre Youth Ensemble.
“Winning the FAME Emerging Practitioner award means so much to me and my family. I have dedicated myself to working hard and pursuing a future career in contemporary dance here at the New Zealand School of Dance, and this scholarship allows me to continue my training. I am extremely grateful to be the recipient of this scholarship and am excited to see what this next year holds for me.”
In 2025, the FAME Trust Emerging Practitioner award will enable Aylish to complete the New Zealand School of Dance Diploma in Dance Performance, as she pursues her ambition to join a professional dance company.
Image: Aylish Marshall - FORTE - IT’S NOT ME, IT’S ME. Choreography by Zӧe Dunwoodie. Photo by Stephen A'Court