They had the courage to start. They dared to dream. Hi. I'm Kathryn Wilson. In 2002 an AMP scholarship helped give me the courage to pursue my dream ` becoming NZ's premier footwear designer. 20-year-old Josh's dream is to become a dancer and choreographer on the world stage. With the help of an AMP scholarship, he's chasing his dream at one of the world's leading performing arts schools ` the Juilliard in New York. PERCUSSIVE MUSIC PLAYS I wouldn't want to say I was born to dance about myself, but I think that in a way I was, because there's never been anything else that's taken my fancy more. He was sitting watching Shortland Street at 4 years old, and he saw a tango, and he said, 'I want to dance.' From 4 years old, he was going to be a dancer, and that was it. Dr Chris Warner. After seeing that, I realised that I wanted to take up dancing, and I went and took ballroom for a little bit and then started tap. When I was 8, I saw the Black Grace dance company, and that was my first exposure to contemporary dance. Something resonated with me in that performance. From that moment on, I was very set that that's what I would do for the rest of my life and I would make it happen even if I had to start doing ballet. (LAUGHS) I really knew that I wanted to do it as my career and, like, really really pushed for it. I didn't want him to do ballet, because ballet's boring ` well, for me. He's come from very much a sporting family, so to have a boy that at 4 years old said he was going to be a dancer was quite unusual. Didn't matter how much cricket I made him watch or... anything. It was dance. My path, sort of, to convert people to dance that aren't already dance lovers, I think that my mum is probably the first one, back when I was 5. She wouldn't have typically gone down to a dancing competition to watch 50 tap dancers in a row. (LAUGHS) I wanted a boy, because I wanted a rugby player. So he is named after Josh Kronfeld. He was going to be my rugby player, but, no, it didn't happen. CHIRPY MUSIC PLAYS, TAP SHOES CLICK When Josh was in year nine, I was researching top American boarding schools, and Interlochen Arts Academy came up. So he said he would like to go there for a summer camp, which was six weeks. And I said, 'That sounds great. How much is it?' He said, '15,000.' And I said, 'For six weeks?'(LAUGHS) He said yes, and I said, 'Well, that's not going to happen.' He said, 'Oh, but they've got scholarships.' So he applied and went for six weeks, and while there, they asked him to apply for the full-time school, which he did, and then told me on Skype that he got in, and I said, 'That's great. How much is that?' And that was only NZ$75,000 a year. I said, 'Well, that ain't happening either, Josh.' And, 'Oh, but they have scholarships.' So he was lucky enough to get pretty much a full scholarship. The very first time I ever saw him do ballet, he was the lead, and that was his second year of doing ballet. It blew us away, really, because we hadn't seen him do it, and then all of a sudden, he was a lead. My mum has had a huge impact on my life. Being a dancer is a lot of hours. It's` It's a huge commitment for any parent. Financially, it is tough being on your own with two kids. I work two jobs, and you just do it. As a parent, you make those sacrifices so that your children can do what they love. Unfortunately, in NZ, he was unable to do what he needed to do. I thought it was important that he carried on with his academics. He's pretty intelligent, and I think all children need something to fall back on, especially in the dance world. One injury, and they need an education. Which is why he went to the States in the first place ` so that he could receive both. My first few months in Interlochen Arts Boarding School were pretty crazy. I remember the first couple days after Mum left, I think I had a few tears. (LAUGHS) But after a week, I'd really fallen in love with being in a place just filled with artists and of all different kinds of majors. There were writers and painters and actors and singers. And so it was just this huge bubble of all these, like, awesomely creative people. It was really, like, one of the most special places I had ever experienced. The biggest struggle the first few months was partnering classes, because I was this really little weakling and could not hold a girl to save myself, even just up on her pointe, let alone lifting. And that was, like, the worst time of my life. It definitely required a lot of perseverance but also a lot of phone calls home to Mum (LAUGHS) so that she could set me back on the right track, because I think if there was ever a moment where I really doubted it, it was during those partnering classes, because that was just, like, the worst I have ever been at anything to do with dance, that's for sure. And still is, but I'm working on. (CHUCKLES) SLOW PIANO MUSIC So, he's got another year and a half to finish his degree. He's on a full scholarship at Juilliard but has to pay, obviously, for food and living. The drop in the NZ dollar has hit him pretty hard. It went from 28,000 last year. This year it went up to 39,000 just with the change in the dollar. That's just New York. It's just an expensive place to live. Luckily, with the AMP scholarship, he was able to pay for the whole of this year. So he's started working now towards his final year. Unfortunately, the life of a dancer is an expensive one, especially while you're still being educated. Yeah, so he works while he's in the States as well. He ushers at Juilliard. He is in a performance group that go out to the Bronx or to the veteran hospitals, things like that, that the school actually pay the kids to do. You just get used to them being away. It hurts you each time he goes, but I just know that he has to be overseas to get where he needs to go with his dancing. SLOW STRING MUSIC Welcome to my humble abode. This is where I live with three other Juilliard students. We're in the residence all right now. So this is our little hang-out area, our little lounge. We have a cellist in this corner, another dancer, and then down here I live with a flautist, so I always have, like, a great soundtrack to my life going on, which is pretty cool. And here's my actual room. Come inside. (CHUCKLES) It's not the biggest thing you ever see, but it is New York City, so I'm happy here ` 19th floor, Juilliard residence hall. It's got a pretty nice view of some skyscrapers and stuff, so... yeah, it's good. It does the trick. I'm pretty much only here to eat and sleep, so it doesn't need to be too big, really. (CHUCKLES) The Juilliard School has been around for a long time. It started in 1905. The school has remained to be an elite conservatory. The audition process is extremely selective. It's super hard even just getting through the audition process here. There's so many people that audition, so many amazing dancers. There's so much skill that goes into it. You never really know if you could get in. You sort of just have to go out on a limb and give it a shot. A lot of people wouldn't even audition because they think, 'I'm not good enough,' or something, but you never really know what they're looking for. We have never had a student from NZ before. Oh, he got accepted on his own merits. We don't take people because of whatever. We take them because we think they are really talented. And Josh was talented. I think Joshua has a lot of natural gifts. I mean, most of our students do have a lot of natural gifts. One to first, one to fifth. One to first, one to fifth. Passe up and down, and plie and up. Good. So we want to really clearly distinguish first and fifth and engage the foot and heel. Joshua was found also because he has great proportions and wonderful body and good conditions in his hips and legs and long muscle, good feet ` you know, a lot of physical attributes that are very strong and very wonderful. And then he proves to be an intelligent guy who's also engaged in finding ways to make progress and to move along. Front, chasse... (SPEAKS FRENCH) We start at about 9am each day, which isn't too early. It's pretty nice, but we do go almost all days to about 9pm. We start with an academic sort of class, then we take, like, a ballet-technique class and then more of a contemporary technique class. Uh, then we get lunch, and we have, sort of, another academic class, and then we're just in rehearsals for, like, the rest of the day. ...tombe pas de bourre. Yep, do one thing, one thing, and it goes on. He's been working very hard and very well for three years, and I feel sure that he is really going to be ready for a job of his choice in another year. So he's done extremely well. Two, four. Inside attitude and extend. Tombe pas de bourre. Plie, pas de bourre, fourth. Outside, fourth. And tendu, fifth. < Preparation... It's a huge opportunity, and the pressure definitely dawns on me at different times. I think that the way that I can, sort of, handle that is just knowing that I am putting my best foot forward into everything, knowing that I'm eating well all the time so that I can go into class and make the most of this crazy opportunity that has been given to me and represent NZ well. You know, make sure that I am, sort of, killing it every day. (LAUGHS) PIANO MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC CRESCENDOS, ENDS LAIDBACK MUSIC The Blenheim community has always been pretty special with supporting people that are doing well, whether it be dance or sport or whatever. The Marlborough Dance Centre have been amazing to Josh, bringing him back to do full ballets. I mean, that's something that's really great for the whole community too, because it's all local kids, and then they've got this boy from Juilliard in New York that comes and dances with the kids and spends time with them. First up, we have a solo from Josh, so sit back, relax and enjoy. For the next 18 months, it will be a lot of fundraising, so we've done a few concerts now. I work a lot while I'm home, doing different workshops and teaching and stuff. Back on both legs, as opposed to getting to here and then having to readjust when you come out again. Every time he comes back, it's so exciting. All the students can't wait to see him after the year and see his progress, and every year he comes back, his dancing's developed. A lot of people in Marlborough are following him, cos they've seen him performing constantly, so he's got quite an audience, which is really cool for him, cool for us. Everyone's definitely had a really big role, and so my grandparents have been huge in getting the community here really involved, getting people to come to the concert, and then always on the day, they're always there, helping set things up and taking tickets and helping me out while I'm, like, running round like a headless chicken backstage. Five-minute call, girls. It's always a great crowd when I come home. It's a nice change to dancing in New York, because the crowds there are very... (CHUCKLES) Uh, I don't know if high-maintenance is the right word, but I get very nervous for shows over there, so it's nice to be able to do a show where everyone is wanting it to be good. And sometimes in the big theatres overseas, you get the feeling that everyone's kind of waiting for you to stuff up. He's really amazing. And he's an inspiration, cos not many boys do dancing. This is my second time dancing with Josh, which is quite exciting. Just been supporting Josh as much as we can, cos he just does so much for our community. Oh, it's just really awesome. A lot of the people here are people that I've grown up knowing and stuff, so it's cool to have everyone in one place, and since I'm always dancing overseas all the time, it's cool to be able to perform for people that don't get to see me all the time. And it's always such a supportive crowd. Any crowd in NZ, actually, is always really supportive, so it's always nice to be dancing on home turf. Right, so what girls are looking good at Juilliard? (SIGHS) Every time I come home, I've told you there isn't enough time in my schedule to even think at the moment. (LAUGHS) Well, you need to. Would you rather me be spending more hours in the studio or...? Like, there'll be a girlfriend eventually. You've just gotta be patient. Nothing wrong with a Kiwi girl. (CHUCKLES) Well, sometimes when you choose something that takes up a lot of hours, you have to make other sacrifices. 1 I don't really get much time to come out and see the sights, so it's a pretty good experience for me having my family here and getting an excuse to actually go and see some stuff. Then Juilliard's over that way. So if you go over there from the Empire State, you might be able to see the top of the Metropolitan Opera, which is just across from where Juilliard is. Oh, New York to me is pretty much everything I've been dreaming for. Just to be here is a dream every day, and sometimes it still feels like it's not even really real, but... Can I have a turn now? ...it makes it very exciting for... the years to come and... what will happen next. (CHUCKLES) It's just a place of so many different people with so many different passions, and the amount that I can learn each day is just overwhelming. It really is just such a big place that sort of brings you back down to how many people there really are in this city. It's good there's so many opportunities, because there's way too many people. (LAUGHS) PIANO MUSIC PLAYS We're leaving now. We're heading out to Newark now. Oh. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) All right, thanks for coming. It's been great having youse here. Have a safe trip. Bye, Xavie. Bye. See youse in only seven weeks. It's not long. It meant a lot to me to have youse all here, so... Thanks, Mum. Love you. Love you too. See you soon. Maybe I'll get a big part next time. (CHUCKLES) ORCHESTRAL MUSIC BUILDS FLUTE TRILLS At the moment, we are in rehearsals for the spring Dances Repertory show at Juilliard. It's one of our two big shows of the year, and I am lucky enough to be performing one of the lead roles in the Paul Taylor piece which is called Roses, and, yeah, it's very exciting. It should be really awesome, hopefully, if I can get it together. A lot of what we work on in normal dance classes is very technical, but for this dance, I had to work completely on the performance of it and how every little thing I could even do with my eyes would affect it. The amount of times we worked on this one little look thing that I had to do was crazy. To perform such a great role on such a big stage in front of so many people in New York City is just an absolute dream and one that... I couldn't have foreseen six years ago, you know. (CHUCKLES) It's pretty` pretty exciting. I'm still buzzing. Oh, Joshua has a wonderful work ethic. And he's so honest, and he's so full-hearted. In this crazy dance world, you have to be willing to be vulnerable too. You know, you can't, 'Oh, I know it all. I've got it,' you know. And he's... You know, sometimes you're, like, 'OK, fine, it's great. You don't have to question that. 'Just live it. Just live it.' And I could see him going from being like a little puppy to being this more mature and not like in command but just in control and able to be an equal partner to the woman. The level that he's at and the skills that he's acquiring, and he's a gorgeous, tall guy, you know, (LAUGHS) who can partner. Whoo! He's got it all going on. (LAUGHS) He has the respect and the desire to learn from the past and he is wholehearted embracing what's going on right now. Coming out of your attitude again, you were like... It's great to have the willingness, but it's even better when you can back it up with your skills. And he has that. Josh, this is good now with the... embracing. OK, cool. Josh is just, um,... the perfect example of the kind of student you want to work with, because he's there to take it all and has the ability to absorb it and then give back at the greatest level. STRING MUSIC Right, look at this ` The New York Times. READS: 'The Future in Mind, Young Talent Taps the Past. 'At the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on Wednesday when Juilliard students performed Paul Taylor's Roses, 'It was easy to imagine several leaving the theatre, crossing West 65th St 'and jumping on stage with Paul Taylor's company 'performing that very moment in another part of the Lincoln Centre.' Here it is. 'Mikaela Kelly and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson`' Oh, that's cool, eh,... Yeah. ...have his name in there. '...looked professionally steady as the mature couple in white.' Oh, that's really cool. Better cut it out, then. Careful of that, Gran. You could've stretched and got some bigger scissors. I'll be graduating in a year's time, so I'll be auditioning a lot, but that's, sort of, the life of a performer, really. There's a lot of good dancers in this city and in this world. A lot of people can dance well, so it's the ones that are gonna be able to interest the directors and the choreographers that'll be a cut above the rest. That's the part I'm really nervous for. (LAUGHS) My main goal would definitely be to come back to NZ and set up an arts school. It's important to Josh that everyone gets that opportunity that he's had, and that's why he strives to be able to bring something like that to NZ. I think NZ needs to move on a little bit from rugby, and I'm very much a rugby fan, but there is more to life, and there's a lot more countries that celebrate top dancers than celebrate top rugby players. Yeah, I'm very proud of what Josh has done. He's really a great... I don't want to say a great kid, because he's a great young artist. DRAMATIC STRING MUSIC Without the AMP scholarship, it's likely that I wouldn't have been able to continue attending Juilliard. Having a NZ company supporting me to get to my goal has given me so much energy to keep pursuing it even through the hard times. The dream doesn't really stop here. I definitely want to be learning what I can, whether that's in France or here in New York so that once I come back to NZ, I can create my own arts school where kids can continue their education, continue studying while pursuing their art. Captions by Desney Shaw. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016