- April 26, 2024
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Shayna Mayes, 10, hopes to one day be a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. To help achieve her goal, she recently enrolled in the St. Augustine Dance Conservatory and The Perla School, a preparatory school whose focus is on academic rigor as well as pre-professional dance training.
But before transferring from Bunnell Elementary School to the dance-focused school, the Palm Coast dancer competed in the Tampa Youth American Grand Prix, the world’s largest international student dance competition, which was the subject of the 2011 ballet documentary, “First Position.” Her contemporary dance solo “Bird of Flame,” choreographed by Antonia and Joel Mejias, placed in the top 12. As a result, Mayes was invited to compete in New York, April 10-16. Her ballet solo, “Diana and Actaeon,” just missed a New York-invite by a few points.
“It means a lot to me to go to New York, it’s the next step of my journey to be in the big world of ballet,” Mayes said, adding her appreciation for her dance teachers: Lisa Santiago, Teresa Flaschner and Shawna Hilley at 3‘N Motion, and Brie Valenti, Lynn Decanti and Karen Heartt at Mia Bella.
Mayes will compete in the pre-competitive category for ages 9-11, the youngest bracket in the competition.
While in Tampa, Mayes went from the awards presentation stage to the audition stage at Next Generation Ballet, where she got accepted into the summer program with a partial scholarship. During the five-week summer intensive, Mayes hopes to audition for the school at the Next Generation Ballet.
To help raise funds for Mayes’ trip to compete in New York, visit gofundme.com/kh5hnc.
“My parents work really hard to fund my dancing,” Mayes wrote on the page. “But ... this trip to New York is beyond their reach.”
Mayes hopes that the page will help her to get one step closer to her dream of being a principal dancer.
