australian television information archive

Tara Webster (15)

Tara grew up in the dry Mallee region of north western Victoria, riding trail bikes and horses. Although she learns to love Sydney she will always be a country girl at heart. She is happiest dancing barefoot, ideally somewhere in the middle of a wheat paddock, and finds it hard to adjust to life in a city Boarding House.

Tara is lucky enough to have been born with a body that's almost perfectly suited to ballet; however she is so far behind in her training that the teachers have put her on probation. It takes her a long time to figure out that the teachers are pushing her so hard because they see her potential.

Tara has a heightened sense of awareness, which makes her feel things more acutely than other people. She's particularly naïve when it comes to boys and relationships. When Tara falls, she falls hard and she's excruciatingly honest about her feelings — frequently embarrassing herself as a result.

While sensitive and imaginative, Tara is also fiercely determined. She is stronger than she knows and over the course of the year draws on reserves she never thought she had. The toughest challenge Tara faces this year is learning how to have faith in herself. Learning that the National Academy of Dance is where she belongs. Learning that whatever happens it will all be worth it. Knowing that just to dance is all that matters.

Kat Karamakov (16)

Kat isn't sure what she wants to do in the future but she does know there's more to life than dancing. If only her parents would realise it. Kat's mother is the National Ballet Company's principal ballerina and her stepfather is an acclaimed choreographer. It's tough having celebrity parents and in the dance world this is as A-List as it gets. As a result, Kat has no choice but to attend the Academy and pretend she looks pleased about it — which couldn't be further from the truth.

Kat is naturally talented at ballet but finds her hip hop classes much more interesting. At least they're relevant to what's going on in the world. Kat thinks ballet is ridiculous and should be relegated to a museum.

Kat's energy is infectious and her flair for mischief, legendary. She's one of those people who can convince you to do anything — and when you end up in the principal's office she'll just grin and roll her eyes. Kat can make you laugh more than anyone you know, but you'll also be exhausted trying to keep up. She has an insatiable appetite for fun but is easily bored and gets herself in trouble when she takes things too far.

Abigail Armstrong (16)

Abigail has been dancing since birth and is the best student in the class. It's not a title she's going to give up easily. Startlingly beautiful, people are drawn to Abigail with a kind of morbid fascination and she learnt long ago how to use her charisma to manipulate others.

Abigail is backed by a pushy mother who relocated the family to Sydney so that Abigail could train at the Academy. All her life, Mrs. Armstrong has taught Abigail to believe she is something special. Abigail's deepest, darkest fear is that she isn't.

This year Abigail's body is changing and she regards it as a terrible betrayal. Suddenly, it's no longer so easy to be the best and Abigail pushes herself to work harder than anyone, with a determination that even her enemies have to respect. She is a naturally gifted dancer but knows she's not perfect. The teachers often talk about a coldness to her dancing that Abigail can't fix, however hard she tries.

As we get to know Abigail we find more and more humour in her ruthlessness. It's astonishing how extreme she can sometimes be. Abigail isn't a horrible person but she believes ballet is everything and made the decision long ago that to reach her dream she will do whatever it takes, even if means stepping over every friend she's got in the process.

Sammy Lieberman (16)

Sammy Lieberman is the kind of guy who's every girl's best friend but finds the other boys at the Academy much more difficult to talk to. Maybe that's because he's got five sisters and is used to being bossed around? At any rate, he's the third member of Kat and Tara's pas de trois and it's a role that suits him perfectly.

The only son in a conservative Jewish family, it's always been expected that Sammy will follow in his father's footsteps and go into medicine. Sammy broke his father's heart when he decided he wanted to be a dancer instead.

When Sammy arrives at the Academy he's considered a total outcast until Kat rescues him and makes him cool. Well, as cool as Sammy can be in his own unique way. He tends to attract disaster — weird stuff just happens to him — and he's resigned himself to a life of social humiliation. His defence against the world is his self-deprecating sense of humour. He's always prepared to laugh at himself before anyone gets in first.

Christian Reed (17)

Christian Reed is the kind of boy most teenage girl's dream of — gorgeous, mysterious and angry with the world. He grew up in one of the outer suburbs of Sydney, with a devoted mother and an absent father. Even as a little boy he was extremely coordinated and his mum made an effort to teach him dancing. This athleticism translates into everything Christian does. He can surf, skate. Christian likes to push his body to the max; the greater the risk, the more it interests him.

Christian's childhood was poor but generally stable until his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Before she died she made him promise that he'd audition for the National Academy of Dance. Christian kept his promise but never said he'd go if he got in. Instead, he ignores his letter of acceptance and continues to hang out with his fellow adrenaline-seeking mates. One night, they take things too far and Christian ends up in serious trouble with the police. He arrives at the Academy not because he wants to be there but because he has no place else to go... although that doesn't mean he's going to take dancing seriously and there's no way he's going to wear tights.

Until you get to know Christian it's impossible to work out whether he's being genuine or mildly sarcastic, though it's usually the latter. He does everything with a half-smile that often disguises what's simmering below the surface.

Easily the best guy in First Year, Christian has a power in his dancing that is rarely seen. He is spectacular at something — whether it's Hip Hop, Acrobatics, Contemporary, whatever. But it all comes too easily and he's never really sure that dancing is what he wants.

Ethan Karamakov (18)

Life is pretty good for Ethan Karamakov who's turning eighteen this year and is in his Third Year at the Academy. He's cute, he's talented, he's an all-round nice guy — the Golden Boy of the Academy. He's someone that teachers want in their class and parents want their kids to be friends with. He's popular with the guys at school and even more popular with the girls. He's always hooking up with someone, but never more than for a couple of days. He's Tara's dream boy.

Ethan is Kat's older brother and feels some of the same pressure in living up to their famous parents. However, unlike Kat who thinks the ballet world is ridiculous, Ethan wants to become a choreographer and push the boundaries of dance. Fusing modern styles like hip hop with classical, he's determined to carve his own way and not follow in his father's footsteps. Most of the time, he's confident he'll succeed.