The new intake of 26 up-and-coming dancers for SDC’s prestigious Pre-Professional Year has been announced.

Since Sydney Dance Company introduced its Pre-Professional Year (PPY) in 2014, an impressive 70 young dance artists have undertaken the nationally accredited, intensive, one-year course, which enables aspiring contemporary dancers to train alongside the SDC ensemble. Though graduating into SDC is not what it’s about, four PPY graduates are now SDC members: Josephine Weise, Sam Young-Wright, Nelson Earl and Izzac Carroll. Marlo Benjamin, who did the PPY course in 2015, recently danced in Nude Live along with Carroll.

^{The PPY class of 2017. Photo courtesy of Sydney Dance Company}

Today, SDC announced the 26 Australian and New Zealand dancers who will form the class of 2017. They are:

Claire Abaijah (Griffin, Ipswich), Scarlett Atkins (Gold Coast), Georgie Bailey (Airlie Beach), Jasmine Bard (Branxton), Lana Barone (Adelaide), Alexander Borg (Bexley), Brad Carter (New Plymouth, NZ), Brielle De Thomasis (Mackay), Francesca Fenton (Grenfell), Marni Green (Woonona), Beatrice Jackson (Adelaide), Jessica Johns (Wellington, NZ), Ashley Joppich (Clifton), Cody Lavery (Gold Coast), Gabrielle Martin (Turners Beach), Aaron Matheson (Sydney), Alex Mencinsky (Hunters Hill), Mason Peronchik (Coffs Harbour), Harry Pohl (Geelong),...