Young dancer off to Hollywood

Rotorua's Kirsten Plowman is off to the bright lights of Hollywood.

The young dancing sensation was handed a scholarship recently to study at the prestigious Edge Dance Centre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Kirsten, 18, was awarded the scholarship during a Phoenix dance workshop held earlier this year in Hamilton.

Choreographers from overseas selected the talented performer from about 100 other dancers.

"I have always wanted to dance since I was little," she said.

Kirsten said she grew up dancing around the house before her mother signed her up at a local dance school called Amjazz.

"Amjazz is my everything. I was nine when I started dancing at Amjazz," she said. "I started with mainly hip hop and that is still my favourite genre."

Kirsten said she was blown away in April when her name was called out from a large group of dancers attending the Phoenix workshop.

"I was just standing there shaking [when they called my name out]," she said.

As part of her scholarship she receives return airfares to Los Angeles and 20 free classes at the Edge Dance Centre.

"Having seen two of the choreographers that came to the workshop I know it will be an amazing experience."

She said stars like Ryan Gosling had studied ballet and other dancing genres at the school.

She said she would consider staying on at the dance school after the 20 free classes but would also consider going to the Urban Dance Centre in Sydney.

Kirsten plans to leave for Hollywood in January, after she finishes her final year at Rotorua Girls' High School.

She is also the director of the Rotorua Girls' High School Stage Challenge team and performed in the Rotorua Musical Theatre production of Chicago earlier this year.