** CLASS OF 2015 – Ella Bedggood **

Ella Bedggood always dreamed of becoming a dance teacher and after years of training, study, and hard work she is living that dream. During her time at BalCC Ella completed a VCE/VET dance course and achieved a Certificate II in Dance in Year 11 and in Year 12 completed a major examination through Cecchetti Ballet Australia, which then qualified her to teach the syllabus. The following year she completed an exam through the Australian Teachers of Dancing (ATOD) which then qualified her to teach their Jazz dance syllabus.

Ella has worked at six different dance and performing arts schools across Victoria and in 2018 helped found Shining Stars dance classes for preschoolers, which ran for two years through Mount Clear Church of Christ, until they were unfortunately closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 she was the co-director and choreographer for Ballarat Centre of Music and the Arts’ production of ‘Seussical the Musical Jr.’

Today Ella works at three performing arts schools across regional Victoria as both a dance and singing instructor to students of all ages. She has also held administration and social media management positions in multiple schools, created successful preschool programs for both in-studio and online learning and has assisted in the management of a performing arts school in Ballan for nearly five years. She is part of the core junior musical theatre team at Ballarat Centre of Music and the Arts (BCMA) and is currently the co-director and choreographer of their production of ‘Aladdin Jr.’ featuring over seventy children, including some of BalCC’s current students.  For the past four years Ella has been Head of the BCMA preschool department and is currently teaching twenty of their solo singing students, some of whom have recently competed in competitions around Victoria (including Royal South Street). Despite her busy schedule Ella is currently studying musical theatre singing through the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB).

Ella’s performing career has seen her featuring on stages both locally and internationally. In 2018 she was selected as a performer and choreographer for Dynamic Dance Ararat’s USA tour, which saw her performing at Disneyland, Universal Studios and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She appeared as a lead role in ‘CATS’ the musical (Ballarat Lyric Theatre 2017), understudied the role of ‘Belle’ in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (BLOC Music Theatre 2019) and was featured in the highly successful sell-out season of ‘Mamma Mia!’ (BLOC Music Theatre 2021), as well as ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (Ballarat Lyric Theatre 2018) and ‘Jekyll & Hyde the Musical’ (Ballarat Lyric Theatre 2019).

While at BalCC Ella was involved in leading worship at Junior, Middle and Senior School Chapels, and helped choreograph dance routines for Year 7 and 8 Performing Arts students, while she was a student and in later years when she was asked to return to teach some class groups. Ella performed in singing for BalCC at Royal South Street, winning various competitions. She was also a lead character/choreographer in the College’s productions of ‘Taking it Through the Day’ (2011) and a supporting character/choreographer of ‘Esther’ (2014). During Year 12 Ella auditioned for and was cast in an RACV advertisement television campaign and was featured in their print media until 2019. In 2018 she was cast as an extra in the Stan Original film True History of the Kelly Gang.

Of her time at BalCC Ella says “I truly feel that I would not be where I am in life without my time at BalCC. My teachers saw my passion for the arts and helped nurture it where they could, giving me opportunities and encouragement that would not have been possible at any other school. The community truly felt like a family; I really felt like I mattered and was heard, something I had not felt at my first high school. Friends and connections made from my time at the school have genuinely carried on to this day. I am forever grateful for my experience and wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Congratulations to Ella on dreaming big and working hard to accomplish her goals, and we look forward to seeing more of her performing achievements in the years to come.

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