THE graceful art of ballet has been Dimity Azoury's passion since she slipped on her first pair of ballet shoes as a four-year-old in Queanbeyan.
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The dancer has just launched a video as one of the six promising nominees in the Australian Ballet's highest honour - the Telstra Ballet Dancer Award. Her remarkable video captivates viewers with its playful exploration of fluid movement as dripping blue paint travels across her body.
"It gave me a nice excuse to roll around in the paint and get a bit messy," Ms Azoury said.
"We had to be smart about the way we did it because the paint was slippery. I had to do all the big jumps and movement while the floor was relatively dry."
The 25-year-old dancer, who went to school in Deakin, left home at 15 to pursue her ballet career. Years of hard work and travel with the Australian Ballet have been part of making a mark in the industry. She said being nominated by people she looked up to was very special.
"We are nominated by the principal dancers in the company and basically it is recognition that they see something in you."
The Australian Ballet artistic director David McAllister said the video series enables the public to cast votes in the People's Choice Awards and, more importantly, demonstrates dancers' role as storytellers.
"They are trained to capture passion and emotion with their bodies," he said. "These videos are a tribute to the skill and grace of this elegant art form."
The award, which began in 2003, has helped to catapult the careers of many bright stars of the Australian Ballet. Winners will be announced in November and will take home a $20,000 cash prize, with the People's Choice Award recipient to win $5000.
- Watch the video series at www.telstra.com/ballet