Dance to the top

By Bridget Brady
YOUNG Berwick dancer Isabelle Tamburini has her sights set on more success after winning the first competition she entered.
Isabelle, 9, won her age group with her a contemporary solo at the Commonwealth dance competition earlier this month.
And it was not just a case of beginner’s luck for Isabelle, as she also took out first place at the Phoenix Festival of Dance during the same weekend.
Isabelle, a student at Contemporary Independent Dance (CID) in Cranbourne, said she was nervous and excited before her competitions.
“I was a bit surprised to win. It was my first competition so I didn’t have any expectation so I was shocked and happy,” she said.
Her mother, Taea, said Isabelle practised in their house for hours, even straight after she arrived home from dance lessons.
“It is a huge passion of hers. She blew us all away at the competition,” she said.
Isabelle said she was keen to enter more competitions later in the year.
CID director and Isabelle’s teacher, Nicole Jacobsson, said she was delighted at the success of her students.
Students from the senior contemporary workshop also took out a first and two second places for their troupe performances.
“I credit their success to a combination of cutting edge choreography and costuming, strong contemporary technique and the enthusiasm and dedication of the young dancers and their families,” Ms Jacobsson said.