There's not many 16 year olds who can say they've represented Australia in one of the world's most prestigious ballet events, but Halle McGregor is now one of them.
The National College of Dance student just fulfilled her dream of going to Switzerland's Prix de Lausanne. She's been training in classical ballet since she was five.
"It was incredible," Miss McGregor said, "[I've been] watching the live streams since I was really little."
The so-called "Olympics of ballet" is open to 15-18 year olds worldwide and is known for launching careers. Lucinda Dunn, who danced with The Australian Ballet, got her start in Lausanne. The 1994 winner, Australian Emma Sandall, trained with the Royal Ballet School.
"It was just a phenomenal week. We had classes for the first four days ... some were judged by a panel or jury members. We had other classes with coaches who were some of the world's best," Miss McGregor said.
"It was pretty amazing [to see] how many past Prix de Lausanne candidates were there telling their stories about how [the event] launched their careers."
Miss McGregor, who has three older brothers, started dancing when her mum enrolled her in classes.
"I used to do every style but I started taking more of an interest in classical ballet when I was around 10," she said. "I still do classical ballet, contemporary and a little bit of jazz, but I'm focusing on ballet."
Miss McGregor found out she was selected for the 2023 Prix de Lausanne late last year as one of just 86 successful applicants. Amongst them were seven Australians.
Once in Switzerland, she chose from a list of contemporary and classical ballet variations which were performed live during the week.
"I got to practice in a studio a few days before [the event] so that I could keep my body moving a bit in the cold.
"I don't normally get nervous, but I think by the time our fifth day came, which was our performance day, I had [some] nerves. I was just excited. I just wanted to enjoy the experience of being on the Prix de Lausanne stage," she said.
The performances were a chance for Prix de Lausanne partner schools to scout dancers who they'd like to train. On the final day, the ballerinas were invited to meetings with school directors who had noticed their talent.
"I was lucky enough to have gotten a lot of meetings in the networking forum, so at the moment I'm working on deciding which offers to go with. That's all I can really say at the moment."
Despite her success, the Blacksmiths local hasn't forgotten her roots. Miss McGregor said it was "wonderful" to have her parents with her in Switzerland and the support of her school in Lambton back home.
"I just want to thank the National College of Dance and all the teachers and staff because I couldn't have done it without them," she said.
"I wouldn't have had such amazing opportunities."
