Young dancer takes home scholarship win

Proud Gayiri and Darumbal boy Olli is a contemporary dancer and a 2022 Young, Black and Proud Scholarship winner.

At only 12 years old Olli is already making waves in the industry and shows no signs of slowing down.

Spending an amazing four hours per day training, Olli is passionate and dedicated to his performance. But this passion isn’t only for dance; it’s for his culture and community as well.

With a talent for engaging audiences and breaking down barriers, Olli has become a cultural leader at his local dance studio. He participates in cultural mentoring activities and also cultural dance workshops each year.

“My school produced an Acknowledgement of Country video in 2021 in which I displayed my contemporary dance skills. Brisbane Catholic Education also uses it as part of its reconciliation journey,” Olli said.

Olli enjoys contributing to his community and also volunteers his time to teach young dancers at the studio.

“Since starting to dance, I have learnt so much from those around me. Now that I am developing my skills more, I love sharing what I know with younger dancers,” he said.

“I would also love to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children interested in learning to dance”.

He aspires to join the Bangarra Dance Theatre one day to help promote awareness and understanding of his culture.

For now, he plans to put his scholarship funds toward helping his mother pay for his dance fees.

Olli received one of five arts scholarships awarded this year. We’re incredibly proud of his passion and dedication to his performance and can’t wait to see where his future takes him.

This year we partnered again with the Queensland Family & Child Commission (QFFC) to award 16 scholarships across the South East Queensland region.

To read all about the awards ceremony and the other winners, click here.