Nell, 17, will attend a five-week professional course at the Ailey School, in New York, from June 29-July 31; and Gus, 15, will attend a three-week intensive course at the Alberta School of Ballet, in Calgary, Canada, from June 29-July 17.
The pair have been trained by Robyn Sinclair at the Dunedin School of Ballet from a young age.
Now they are spreading their wings in a bid to gain experience and guidance from some of the world’s best dancers.
He chose the Alberta School of Ballet because it was internationally recognised, and its training programme and facilities attracted some of the world’s top dance teachers, who would nurture his potential and develop his technique and artistry.
He said there were very few male ballet dancers in Dunedin, so he was looking forward to meeting other like-minded blokes in Calgary.
‘‘It’s going to be quite nice having more males, because I haven’t danced with a lot of them before - it’ll be a first for me.’’
Despite still having a few years left in secondary school, he was adamant he wanted to ‘‘go pro’’ once he finished.
He hoped to go to a fulltime ballet school in the United Kingdom, before auditioning for professional roles in British ballet companies.
Nell said she was excited about attending Ailey because it was the largest modern dance company in the United States, and it had a major point of difference to other dance schools - it blended African-American dance with ballet and modern dance styles.
‘‘Their school is generally for preparing dancers to go into their dance company, and also to other companies worldwide.
‘‘I’ve been selected for their summer intensive, which is a five-week intensive course, where we dance all day, every day, for five weeks.
‘‘It’s the only place in the world you can learn certain dance styles.’’
The school’s alumni have gone on to perform on Broadway, and dance with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Rather than pursue a career in ballet, Nell plans to study physics at university before going on to do postgraduate study overseas.
She hoped her skill in ballet would help get her a scholarship to an overseas university where she could continue studying physics and ballet ‘‘at a high level’’.
Ms Sinclair said she was ‘‘super proud’’ of both dancers, and was looking forward to hearing about their exciting experiences and dancing tips from the northern hemisphere.
