When Ava Daly first stepped into a ballet studio and took her shot at dancing, she was 18 months old.
Now, its been 13 years, several trophies, performances and sold-out shows, and she has never stopped.
With hard work, diligence, talent and a clear gift, 15-year-old Daly has been selected to tour with Ballet Jörgen, a prominent Canadian classical ballet company based in Toronto for two years in a row - an opportunity given to only 12 dancers in the entire province.
“It’s something you can’t teach,” says professor of dance at Ballet Jörgen, Clea Iveson who has seen Ava grow as a dancer since the age of seven.
“You have to be able to express yourself through movement and not just follow instructions. In order to go into this being considered for the tour and cast, you have to have this quality.”
And Daly has definitely developed it says, Iveson.
Daly began her journey in local participant programs with Ballet Jörgen in Guelph where children are given characters to embody such as a squirrel or a chipmunk which Iveson says is definitely not easy.
“You gotta go beyond what we’re giving you, you gotta actually become those characters,” says Iveson.
“She is very expressive so you can really read the emotional context of what's going on through what she does.”
Iveson says the few selected dancers that tour with Ballet Jörgen are exposed to a rare opportunity which is being fully integrated on what it is like to live the life of a dancer.
“It's not so much of what people see them do on stage, it's about what they do all around it and of course deliver it on stage as well,” says Iveson.
“All of that certainly came together for Ava and her family and we've been lucky that it has worked that way for us to be able to have her as a part of our cast.”
Iveson says it is through experience and Daly’s dedication to learning that has allowed her to develop as a skilled dancer.
“It becomes quite clear to the students and the dancers that really thrive with that information in their artistic sense,” says Iveson.
For Daly, she has been mastering this skill as long as she can remember.
“My mom just put me in everything. I was in soccer, gymnastics, and I would play four different instruments but she noticed that all of my teachers in dance were like ‘Ava’s good. Keep her in dance,’” says Daly.
She recalls a time when she was young dancing away in a studio where a teacher told her, ‘Ava you have a gift. Please never stop dancing.’
In her first solo performance on tour in Ottawa, Daly was given the Born to Dance award, a moment she recalls with pride.
“It's like an escape,” she says about dance. It is an art that allows her to self reflect and really serve as therapeutic.
And for her, Ballet Jörgen is like a family.
“Everyone is just really nice and genuine there and you wouldn't really think that because they're all so amazing and so professional,” says Daly.
With a successful journey of Ballet at the age of 15, Daly says she is sure she wants a career related to dancing.
With tours that allow her to travel province-wide, Daly has able to truly experience the life of a dancer with sold-out shows and fans waiting to take photos with her and the team.
For Daly’s mom, Kat Daly, her daughter’s talent leaves her in awe.
“It's amazing. She blows my mind,” says Kat.
“Her being a part of this touring cast has been such an open door to meeting some extremely brilliant and magical people from all over the world. This dance company offers a multicultural experience where dance defies racial, gender, and age implications.
Kat says the touring cast of Ballet Jörgen respects the legitimacy of children as professionals in dance, something she feels is extremely important for growing professionals.
“She will now forever be comfortable and open to genuine friendships with people regardless of anything but their mutual respect for one another as dance artists,” says Kat.
Daly will be performing The Nutcracker with Ballet Jörgen from Dec. 22 to Dec 23 at the River Run Centre.
