Yukon classical dancers to pursue their dream in Germany
Classical dance is a passion for 18-year-old Dorothée Tolgyesi and Julian Beairsto of Whitehorse
Two Yukon dancers are set to take a leap of faith as they've enrolled to study dance overseas.
Dorothée Tolgyesi and Julian Beairsto have been dancing more than a decade.
The two 18-year-olds attend different high schools but say they were randomly paired up this year in a class at the Northern Lights School of Dance in Whitehorse.
They've now formed a team, a bit like a young Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue in ballet slippers.
"You have to know your partner pretty well. I know Julian pretty well and he knows me. We have a good dance foundation," Tolgyesi said.
"I think the biggest thing is getting to know your partner," added Beairsto. "When one person gets stressed or makes a mistake, we help each other."
Practicing together six days a week, trust is a big issue for the dancers, especially given some of the lifts involved.
"My very first time partnering up with Dorothée, I actually dropped her," said Beairsto, turning red at the memory.
They both laugh about it now.
This year the two performed in Dawson City in a local production of The Nutcracker.
This week they performed a pas de deux (a dance duet) at Secondaire En Spectacle, an annual variety show which celebrates francophone culture in Yukon.
Receiving acceptance letters 'unimaginable'
The two say they've decided to chase their dreams. They've enrolled to study dance overseas.
"We're actually going to school next year in Berlin!" said Tolgyesi. The Berlin Dance Institute offers a three-year program, and the dancers said they prepared a video for their application.
Video: Meet Dorothée Tolgyesi and Julian Beairsto, two <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Whitehorse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Whitehorse</a> students with plans to move to Berlin and study dance. We met backstage after today's Secondaire En Spectacle at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yukon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yukon</a> Arts Centre. <a href="https://t.co/N9xCrkuOwa">pic.twitter.com/N9xCrkuOwa</a>
—@YukonPhilippe"When we got acceptance letters it was unimaginable. It was hard to believe it was actually happening," Beairstow said.
Beairstow and Tolgyesi must first graduate high school in Yukon. Beairstow attends FH Collins school in Whitehorse and Tolgyesi attends Académie Parhélie.
Their first semester in Germany begins in October.
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