Ten years of enabling dreams: The Ergon Energy and Energex Scholarship

The Ergon Energy and Energex Scholarship has assisted selected Queensland Ballet Academy students by providing financial support towards their tuition fees for the Pre-Professional Program. The Fund has enabled these aspiring artists to access world-class training, which has led to flourishing ballet careers, despite their financial circumstances.

As of 2024, Ergon Energy and Energex has provided essential financial assistance to over 60 dancers, in the form of partial scholarship support, helping them to pursue their dreams and develop their skills as leading artists in Queensland and abroad.

The Pre-Professional Program is a full-time final year training program designed to prepare dancers to transition from student to professional ballet dancer and has helped many Academy students gain contracts with Queensland Ballet and with other companies on the world stage. Over 50% of Queensland Ballet dancers are Academy and Pre-Professional Program graduates.

Christian Tàtchev, Director of Queensland Ballet Academy, says Ergon and Energex’s support has proved invaluable to retaining talented and aspiring dancers.

“Ergon and Energex's support has opened doors for many talented young Academy students, allowing them to pursue elite training with confidence and complete focus. I’m proud to watch these alumni thrive at Queensland Ballet and in companies across the world. Thank you Ergon and Energex”.

In celebration of the ten-year milestone scholarship recipients reached out to offer their words of gratitude, with many saying the support came at a crucial time in their career.

Edison Manuel, scholarship recipient in 2020, grew up on the Sunshine Coast and joined Queensland Ballet Academy in 2015. He was offered a place in the Pre-Professional Program in 2020 and joined Queensland Ballet in 2022 where remarkably he performed his first principal role the following year.

He said Ergon and Energex’s financial support during his final years of training was integral to his success.

“The Pre-Professional Program represents the culmination of a dancer’s training. It’s a year that decides futures. Being able to pour everything I had into the program without financial stress was hugely valuable and helped me gain a contract with Queensland Ballet,” he said.

2018 scholarship recipient and Queensland Ballet Company Artist Renee Freeman is currently preparing to make her debut as Chanel’s Shadow, in the Australian premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s masterful ballet Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon. This will mark Renee’s first leading role in a full-length ballet.

Her preparations has been documented in a video for social media where she speaks about the value of the Pre-Professional Program and the impact the scholarship has had on her journey.

She said the program taught her so much about what it would be like to work in the professional industry, and while the costs of the career could be huge, the scholarship had made a massive difference.

Queensland Ballet Executive Director Dilshani Weerasinghe thanked Ergon Energy and Energex for their invaluable contribution to Academy students and the Queensland arts landscape.

“The support this scholarship provides to our aspiring young dancers is deeply meaningful. Not only does it create inclusivity and accessibility for students who may not otherwise be able to follow this path, but it enriches Queensland Ballet, and more broadly the community, with a depth and diversity of talent. In life, there’s very little that’s more important than supporting our young people to find their brightest opportunity and this valued support from Ergon Energy and Energex does just that.”

Ergon and Energex Chief Customer Officer Michael Dart said the partnership with Queensland Ballet represented a tremendous collaboration between community-focused organisations.

"At Ergon and Energex, we believe in the power of the arts to enrich lives and strengthen communities,” Mr Dart said.

“Our partnership with Queensland Ballet embodies our joint commitment to the community by fostering talent and inclusivity in the arts.

“Each scholarship over the past decade has not only supported individual dancers but also contributed to a vibrant cultural landscape in the Sunshine State.

“It's inspiring to witness these young artists grow into world-class performers."

Scholarship recipient stories of success and words of thanks have been collated into a webpage here.

“It’s been lovely to look back and acknowledge the part Ergon Energy and Energex have played in fostering home grown talent. It’s been a great way to take stock of what has been achieved, thanks to this important partnership,” Mr Tàtchev said.

Among them 2015 scholarship recipient Samuel Packer who danced with the Queensland Ballet for seven years.

“I have now moved to the technical department at Queensland Ballet and although I no longer perform as a dancer, I am still using all the knowledge and discipline that I gained through the Pre-Professional Program, and I am extremely grateful for the support I received from Ergon Energy and Energex. Thank you for enabling me to be the person I am today”.

Max Jones, 2021 scholarship recipient and current dancer with Junior Ballet Zurich says he is “deeply grateful for the encouragement and belief in my potential that this scholarship represents.”

Support such as this really does change lives, explains Renee Freeman “Scholarships like this play such an important role in a lot of young dancers' journeys and I am so grateful that includes me as I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”