When the dream of dancing in Melbourne slowly slipped away, Minami Kurota turned being stuck in New Zealand to a career positive.
In 2019, at just 16 years old, she was accepted into a Melbourne dance school for 2020 but decided to extend her start date to 2021 as she felt her young age would be a barrier.
“Aussie appealed to me. It’s a big place, big opportunities, more options,” Kurota said.
But as Covid-19 began derailing her plans of studying overseas for three years, she began researching other plans.
The New Plymouth teen will now be based four-and-a half hours away in Wellington, after being accepted into the New Zealand School of Dance as a contemporary major.