Dancers dazzle at Aussie contest

Madison Scott.

Two dancers have tasted success in one of Australia’s largest dance competitions – the Follow Your Dreams Nationals 2025.

Madison Scott (now 8) and Shayla Rose-Smith (17) from Taupō’s Dance Central won or placed well in enough solo section categories that Madison was crowned Follow Your Dreams (FYD) 7 Years and Under National Champion Dancer and Shayla FYD Runner-up National Open Champion Dancer.

The event was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, South Australia from January 11-17.

Dance Central tutor Grace Bilbie says the two did very well in the New Zealand regional competition for FYD, held in Tauranga in May 2025.

“They both won all their sections there and qualified to compete at the nationals in Adelaide.”

There, with more than 20 solo sections to choose from, both scored in the 90s in all their selected dance styles (soloists can enter up to five).

Madison was first and national champion in Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary and Musical Theatre and Top 5 Overall Highest Scoring Soloist, while Shayla was first and national champion in Open Contemporary, second in Lyrical Open, third in both Jazz Open and Hiphop Open and Top 5 Overall Highest Scoring Soloist.

Dancers in the open section are aged 16-21 and have a three-minute maximum time limit for their routines, while junior solos are up to 2.5 minutes.
Madison’s mother Candice says it was her daughter’s first time overseas, competing, but she wants to go again.

“It's huge… quite a big comp across Australia and New Zealand.”
Next January Madison will attend to do a handover dance and crown the 2026 winner in what was her age group this January, as well as seeking to compete.
“Which is quite sweet. It's a nice idea… She'll be dragging me back over again, for sure,” laughed Candice.
“Madison is a versatile dancer and really enjoys all four of the genres she performed.”
Despite having to inhabit a character or convey an emotion on stage, she is very well behaved at home.
“It makes your life so much easier… we're just so proud of her. She's such a sweet person, as well.

“And that's really important in the comp’ world, that you're kind and friendly with everyone as well, because although she's very successful, she is nice about it. I'm most proud of that.”
While trophies come and go, Candice says Madison can hang her hat on the fact she's worked really hard, day in, day out, including right after Christmas.
“She's very dedicated to her dancing and so it's really admirable.”
While it is early days for Madison in terms of a dance career, Shayla is due to start as a tutor at Dance Central this year.

Shayla Rose-Smith.

It’s an enjoyment, and pathway, Bilbie, the tutor of both girls, can appreciate.

Bilbie who started dancing at age four and has loved it ever since, headed over to Ettingshausen Dance School in Sydney in 2022 to study dance, before returning to Taupō to teach.