Milla Calyk of Expressions Ballet Academy has been named overall winner of the 2026 Kathleen Gorham Awards, receiving the $1,000 Kathleen Gorham Memorial Award Scholarship for the second consecutive year.
Presented by the Royal Academy of Dance Australia, the awards were held at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Melbourne on 16 August.
Students from Intermediate Foundation through to Solo Seal participated in classes before finalists from each vocational level performed a variation for the adjudication panel and an audience.
Ballet educator and RAD examiner Deborah Johnson taught the classes. The adjudicators were Wendy Holt, Claire Phipps of Academy of Queensland Ballet and former Australian Ballet Principal Artist Lucinda Dunn.
Phipps said the dancers’ approach to the class material and variations had left a strong impression.
“It was a joy adjudicating the Kathleen Gorham Awards, and I left feeling inspired for the future of dance in Australia,” she said.
“I witnessed a maturity and professionalism beyond their years, which is by no means common or indeed expected. I look forward to following and engaging with these dancers as they forge into the industry.”
Intermediate Foundation
- Winner: Kayla Sun, Point Cook Performance Arts
- Runner-Up: Ava Wang, Brian Nolan Academy of Dance
- Artistry Award: Amy (ShiWen) Su, Jiayin Masterclass
- Encouragement Award: Ellie Clark, Expressions Ballet Academy
Intermediate
- Winner: Emily Hu, Brian Nolan Academy of Dance
- Runner-Up: Blake Robertson, VCASS
- Artistry Award: Lucy Hawkins, VCASS
- Encouragement Award: Harper Luong, Academy of Dance Australia
Advanced Foundation
- Winner: Claudia Westrup, The National Ballet School
- Runner-Up: Luke Jonisuke Holt, VCASS
- Artistry Award: Tim Cheng, Jiayin Masterclass
- Encouragement Award: Henry Forbes, Expressions Ballet Academy
Advanced 1
- Winner: Jasper Zajacek-Tieu, VCASS
- Runner-Up: Stella Bateman, Jane Moore Academy of Ballet
- Artistry Award: Swiss Strickland, Expressions Ballet Academy
- Encouragement Award: Fletcher Thomas, The National Ballet School
Advanced 2 And Solo Seal
- Winner: Eden-Rose Driver, VCASS
- Runner-Up: Ella Eastoe, VCASS
- Artistry Award: Thomas Smithers, Jane Moore Academy of Ballet
- Encouragement Award: Chloe Lahood, VCASS
Additional Awards And Scholarships
- Martin Rubinstein Most Potential Award: Luke Jonisuke Holt, VCASS
- Paul Hammond Encouragement Award: Swiss Strickland, Expressions Ballet Academy
- Australian Ballet School Scholarship: Claudia Westrup, The National Ballet School
- Sydney Dance Company Scholarship: Zara Azzopardi, The National Ballet School
- Academy of Queensland Ballet Scholarships: Henry Forbes, Expressions Ballet Academy, and Jasper Zajacek-Tieu, VCASS
The awards are named for Kathleen Gorham OBE, who joined the newly formed Australian Ballet as its first prima ballerina in 1962. Gorham also danced with the Borovansky Ballet, Ballet Rambert and the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas before becoming a teacher and school director following her retirement from the stage.