The Australian Ballet comes to Canberra to inspire young dancers with a unique residency program
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Australia’s national ballet company has completed a residency program with 130 students from 40 ACT public schools, seeing a week-long celebration of dance and education come to a graceful end.
NSPIRE x The Australian Ballet: The Residency was launched in collaboration with the ACT Education Directorate to give students the extraordinary opportunity to learn directly from Australia’s leading performing arts institution, The Australian Ballet.
Students gathered at Melba Copland Secondary School for the residency, which was created to encourage students to explore creativity, ignite passion, nurture talent, and build a new benchmark for arts education in the ACT.
The resulting week was transformative for students and Australian Ballet dancers alike.
“What makes our program different is all our workshops,” explains Australian Ballet Education and Outreach program Associate Producer Kennedy Patch.
“We try and align as closely to the curriculum as we can, so that students are experiencing dance and the arts, but also a lot of cross-curriculum priorities, embedding First Nations perspectives, and sustainability.”
“What we try and do – which makes it accessible for everyone – is focus more on themes and ideas and storytelling so that the movement doesn’t need to have any kind of technique basis.”
Opening the expression of interest process to all ACT public school students of all ages and abilities in 2025, NSPIRE was designed to be inclusive.
The residency saw everyone from first-time movers to experienced dancers gather under one roof, with the students immersed in Primary and Secondary creative dance workshops, inclusive education workshops, and gifted and talented workshops.
For Forrest Primary School student Wyatt Woods and Melba Copland Secondary School student Teagan Collins, NSPIRE was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It’s a great way for you to learn about the process of choreography … how to dance together, which is really good,” says Wyatt.
“You learn so much out of it. It’s so insightful to see just how the Australian Ballet education team teach and the different skills and choreographic techniques that you learn from it,” adds Teagan.
Tegan has been dancing since the age of two and was “over the moon” when she heard the Australian Ballet was coming to Canberra for the program.
Recently returning from work experience with the Australian Ballet Outreach and Education team, she says that all local students should consider taking part in the program next year – regardless of their level of dance experience.
“It’s been really nice to see everyone come together, not just in a dance setting, but in our school setting.”
Tegan and Wyatt.
The inspiring story of NSPIRE
Executive Teacher of Melba Copland Secondary School and NSPIRE director Joni Berenguer has long had a love for dancing.
Training at an advanced level in ballet, she was told at a young age that she couldn’t continue Pointe anymore if she wanted to be able to walk when she was older. So she took her passion and transformed it into teaching.
Joni says that she wanted to bring the program to students in ACT public schools to provide access to hands-on experience and professional mentorship, as well as provide deep insights into the performing arts.
“It’s about exploring how you can use the body in different ways – which can feel really unnatural and weird – and sometimes that’s where we can really see students who haven’t had as much technical training really blossom, because it’s easier for them to not overthink,” she explains.
“Even when I was back in school, I was a ballet kid who didn’t know or necessarily feel confident with how to turn contemporary movement into choreography and stories. So that’s where I’m hoping this program will really expand … it really supports the whole idea of providing that high-quality dance education as well.”
This is the first time the Australian Ballet has partnered with ACT public schools to run a week-long program for students from all over Canberra. However, after doing some research in the Australian Ballet’s archives, Kennedy discovered that they visited the capital to run a small education workshop back in the early 2000s.
“But it was not like this,” she explains.
“There’s a combination of the students who are already involved in dance, and for them, this is so special. And then the ones who are completely new who are having this incredible introduction.”
But the program is not just about teaching students to dance. It’s also about role-modelling dance-related career pathways.
Kennedy and Joni.
A professionally trained dancer with a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) from Victorian College of the Arts, Kennedy’s background is just one example of the variety of experience the members of the Australian Ballet Outreach and Education team have.
“I didn’t know about this role when I was studying – I hadn’t even heard of it before – but I think the team have a pretty cool job; going all around Australia, teaching these workshops, performing, and being a teaching artist as well,” Kennedy says.
“It’s quite rare to have a role where you’re still performing and you’re teaching. It’s quite special to be able to do that and show students that it’s not just performing.”
NSPIRE takes its final bow for 2026
With discussions underway with the Australian Ballet about adding an extra week to the residency next year, this is just the beginning of the NSPIRE program, which is aiming to take workshops to other ACT public schools across Canberra.
For students like Wyatt – who dreams of becoming an engineer but hopes to continue dancing as an adult – it shows there are other ways to dance.
“Maybe they know nothing about ballet. Maybe they don’t know anything about how to choreograph a dance with intention or a storyline. But by the end of the week, we hope that they have learned enough of those skills that they could,” explains Kennedy.
Joni says when the Australian Ballet comes back for two weeks next year, she will collaborate with them to develop curriculum documentation suited for use in ACT public schools, “So that we can incorporate that into assessment if schools are wanting to do that.”
“Perhaps in the first week they will go into individual schools that are interested and either just do one workshop there or be there for the whole day to provide it to the whole school – depending on the interest from the principals and schools,” she adds.
“If we can provide two options for next year, it means that we can provide those extension pathways and really focus training for the students who want to do the intensive week but also provide it to other areas as well.”
The Australian Ballet has been inspiring and delighting audiences since 1962. And while NSPIRE has taken its final bow for 2026, the not-for-profit public company will continue to share its legacy the best way they know how: through the joy of movement.
“Maybe they’ve learned how to do a plié, a sauté, and a jeté,” says Kenndey.
“But mostly, they’re able to be creative at home – even if they don’t have access to classes. There are other ways they can dance and be creative.”
ACT public school students and their families can now express interest for the 2027 NSPIRE program. To apply, fill out this form.
Images supplied.
