So you think you can dance? These two Hoppers Crossing Secondary College students think they have the moves – and celebrity dancer Jason Coleman agrees.
The year 12 students, Min Pakoo and Wada Kuan, were each awarded with $20,000 scholarships to Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance for 2018 following their performances in this year’s story and dance Wakakirri competition.
The school bagged a number of state awards, including best original story, at the competition for its short play Journey to Freedom, which is based on Min’s early childhood.
While Min and Wada are part of the school’s dance crew, Raw and Rugged, they’ve had no formal dance training.
The pair said they were shocked to find out they had both received scholarships.
“Even now, it’s hard to believe,” Wada, 17, said. “It’s put a crazy twist on my life.
“Dancing is my passion, but you never expect something like that to happen. It’s a crazy opportunity and for that to happen in the blink of an eye, it’s pretty cool. It opens so much more doors for me and makes things so much easier.”
Min, 18, who had planned to start working in construction next year, will instead go to the Ministry of Dance and see where it takes him.
“It was our last time doing Wakakirri, that’s why it was so special to us,” he said.
