Young dancer to train with best

STELLAR SUCCESS: Tayla-Rose Frisby, 12, has been accepted into the Royal New Zealand Ballet's mentor programme, and will practise with professionals at their studio in Wellington. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR

There is no plan B for Napier ballet dancer Tayla-Rose Frisby, only bright stage lights beckoning.

At just 12-years-old she is to be partnered with a professional and attend classes at the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) studio in Wellington under their mentor programme.

Training beside the best of the best will offer some insight into the industry, and what is expected.

"I really want to become a professional dancer when I'm older. These are steps leading up to that," Tayla-Rose says.

"I have wanted to be a dancer from when I was little and I would go see the ballet with nana or mum."

Many auditioned for the spot but only a limited few had the x-factor they were looking for in a potential star.

Tayla-Rose began dancing at the age of four and continued to scale the ranks, inspired by RNZB dancer Lucy Green.

The talented pre-teen has already won multiple scholarships, championships and Certificates of Excellence in examinations.

She was named 2014 Dancer of the Year in the British Ballet Organisation New Zealand Theatre Awards and became an associate of the New Zealand School of Dance - the first female ballet dancer from Hawke's Bay to do so in 10 years.

But her achievements did not come without total dedication and plenty of hard work.

"I normally practise every day of the week.

"I will be stretching in the morning and at night if I have got any spare time," she said.

She also took jazz and contemporary classes on top of schoolwork, which was set to increase as she started high school.

Tayla-Rose's mother Melanie and father Paul were incredibly proud and helped fulfil her dream - dropping her to classes, competitions and events, both here and out of town.

"She's has lots of support from lots of people and we are always grateful for it," Mrs Frisby said.

"I think it's given her a good discipline that you have to work hard to achieve and get the results, it's not just about winning but working to get there."

Attending the Heather Brunsdon School of Dance in Napier for the past five years she has come a long way, with enough room to grow and develop.

"It's been a real team effort, she's got something special, she's a natural - she's young, even as an associate she's much younger than her peers and with the mentoring it's usually the older girls who get accepted," Ms Brunsdon said. "As Dancer of the Year she beat 16 and 17-year-olds and the adjudicators were from the UK so it's not just locally."