Speedo off, ballet slippers on: Teen to dance at world finals
The moment when Hamish Giddens is centre stage, representing his country in a field of hundreds with all eyes on him, is “nerve-racking”.
But the explicit joy it brings him “isn’t really describable”.
The 16-year-old is taking a leap from winning national competitions in the swimming pool to dancing on the world stage at the Youth American Grand Prix finals in New York this month.
Last year, he broke a decades-old Canterbury record for the 15-year-old boys 1500m freestyle in his quest to four age-group titles at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships.
But ballet has been a lifelong passion for the Christchurch athlete, sparked by shadowing his older sister practising and sneaking into her ballet clothes since he was four. “Ever since my first class ... I always knew that this is what I wanted to do,” he said.
Giddens enjoys finding new ways to move, pushing his body and expressing himself through movement which “speak way louder than words”.
“Seeing the improvements and finally getting the turn that you’ve been trying to get, or getting your jump more elevated, just makes it all worth it.”
More than 12,000 young dancers auditioned at the competition’s semi-final events across 15 countries. After cementing an impressive third place in the senior male section at the Sydney semi-finals, Giddens is among the 500 hand-selected for the final dance.
The international exposure has seen Giddens awarded opportunities to attend intensive summer ballet classes at many of the best ballet schools overseas. He hasn’t attended any yet because of the travel and accommodation costs involved and dedicating his time to training for April’s big competition
His dream is to secure a full-time scholarship, ideally to the Royal Ballet School in London or the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam.
“It’s quite a big deal,” Giddens said about his dream. “You have to be really, really at another level to get those.”
Because travel and accommodation are often not included in scholarship offers, Giddens’ family have set up a Givealittle page to help financially support him achieve his dreams overseas.
The Youth American Grand Prix finals in New York start on April 11.