A ballerina has returned from the bright lights of Manhattan to pay a visit to her most adoring fans: her friends and family in Griffith.
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Ellise Pellizzer has been blowing away audiences at Ajkun Ballet Theatre, a brutally selective dance company that selects for only the finest performers.
She proved she was among the best of the best back in 2018 when she became one of ten junior artists chosen from among 2000 applicants.
"I still pinch myself sometimes," Ms Pellizzer said.
"I can't believe I'm doing what I wanted."
No matter how far she looks back into her memory, Ms Pellizzer can't remember a time in her life when she wasn't aspiring to become a professional performer.
It's been a dream of hers since she first slipped on the ballet shoes and started tottering around the dance floor at age three.
She was taught by Michelina "Miss Mike" Di Salvatore, who watched Ms Pellizzer grow up from a three-year-old into a brilliant performer in what seemed like no time at all.
"You do really become attached to them; they're just like your own children," Miss Mike said.
"I probably get too emotional. You cry every time you see them perform."
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Ms Pellizzer would travel to Leeton over the weekends and stay at Miss Mike's house to take part in her dance lessons at Di Salvatore Dance Academy.
She continued her training in Newcastle, where she spent 10 gruelling hours every day polishing her skills to a mirror sheen.
Getting chosen for Ajkun Ballet Theatre was her big break, and they've been putting her through her paces doing both contemporary and traditional dance.
She's starred in performances of all kinds in Manhattan and she's steadily gotten used to the big stage lights of New York city.
Once she retires from ballet she plans to go onto musical theatre and continue her passion of dancing, acting, and performing.
"I love it all," she said.
But no matter how famous she becomes, she knows her most enthusiastic fanbase can be found right here in Griffith.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
