A Deer Park performer will make a triumphant homecoming next year when she returns to Melbourne as a cast member of Strictly Ballroom the Musical.
Kaylah Attard had been performing as the lead vocalist for the Royal Caribbean Cruise line for three years when she auditioned for the Baz Luhrmann show.
“I ran to an audition, they taught me a dance, I sang my song and I walked out of the room,” she said.
“The next thing I know I had the job and was straight into rehearsals.”
The 21-year-old, who plays a member of the dance ensemble, has been performing eight shows a week in Sydney for seven months and will come to Melbourne with the show in January for a three-month season.
“I’m part of the pink team, and it’s a very good role – very involved in the show,” Attard said.
“It’s very taxing on the body but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m doing what I love, so it’s really not a job.”
Attard started dancing aged two at the May Downs School of Dance in Donvale under the tutelage of Renie Ann Martini, and then at Danceworx.
She is a master of all dance styles, including tap, jazz, ballet and ballroom.
She started her professional musical theatre career with roles in The Wizard of Oz and Oliver, and followed up with The Magic Faraway Tree and Turandot. In 2007, Attard was crowned Australian Junior Latin champion.
Attard, who dreams of playing Mimi Marquez in Rent, said she was looking forward to performing in her home town.
“A lot of my family and a lot of familiar faces will be in the audience,” she said.
