Dance Australia Introduces Young Dance Scholars, Supported By Elevé Stage Events

Dance Australia is pleased to introduce Young Dance Scholars, a new initiative launching in 2026 to support and publish the next generation of critical voices within our publication.

The program will engage full-time dance students and emerging independent artists, aged 16 and over, to review professional performances for publication through Dance Australia. Selected participants will have the opportunity to work closely with our writers and editorial team, gaining insight into the processes that shape professional arts criticism.

Importantly, Young Dance Scholars will sit alongside — not replace — Dance Australia’s established review platform. Our current reviewers will continue their work as always, maintaining the calibre, authority and depth our readers expect. The new initiative expands the conversation rather than altering its foundation.

Young Dance Scholars is made possible through the support of Elevé Stage Events, presenter of World Ballet Crown. The partnership reflects a shared understanding that the life of dance extends beyond performance alone.

Elevé Stage Events Director Yolande Brown welcomed the collaboration.

“As an organisation dedicated to supporting and mentoring emerging artists both on and off the stage, Elevé Stage Events recognises that the future of dance extends beyond performance, it also lives in education, reflection, dialogue and thoughtful critique.”

Through World Ballet Crown and its broader platforms, Elevé Stage Events is creating pathways for young dancers to be seen on stage. Young Dance Scholars extends that philosophy into another sphere, investing in the voices that interpret, analyse and contextualise the artform.

Participants will be commissioned to attend designated performances and submit considered reviews. As part of the process, they will be invited into conversation with one of Dance Australia’s editorial team, engaging in constructive discussion about perspective, context and clarity before publication. Both scholars and mentors will receive a nominal fee, ensuring the initiative is professionally grounded and responsive to ongoing conversations about fair remuneration in the arts.

Beyond developing writing skills, the program is designed to illuminate the breadth of career pathways within the dance sector. For students whose training is primarily performance-focused, Young Dance Scholars offers exposure to another dimension of professional practice — arts journalism, dramaturgy, scholarship and cultural commentary — reinforcing that a sustainable dance ecology depends on many forms of expertise.

Brown added, “Together, both initiatives recognise that the vitality of dance depends not only on those who perform, but also on those who observe, question, write and contribute meaningfully to the evolving conversation around the arts.”

Dance Australia extends its sincere thanks to Elevé Stage Events and World Ballet Crown for their partnership and for investing in the future voices that will help shape the national dance conversation.

Applications and further details for Young Dance Scholars 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.