For athletes, the dream is to make it to the Olympics. For chess players, the top gig is the World Chess Champions. And for All Star dancers? It's the Dance Worlds.
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These Illawarra dancers are about to take their routines all the way to the top.
In April, Unanderra dance studio The Dance Affinity will be taking its first ever dance team, the Diamond Angels, overseas to compete at the IASF Dance Worlds in Florida, USA.
For the team of 12 girls, aged 14-19, it's a dream come true.
Eighteen-year-old dancer Charlotte Adams said it's a testament to years of dedication.
"This dream is ten years in the making," Ms Adams said.
The team of dancers, coached by Kelly Duroy and Teagan Huntsdale, will be packing their bags to compete against groups from all over the world in Jazz and Lyrical dance.
All Star dancing isn't just any old routine. It incorporates dance technique, synchronization, staging, and crowd appeal.
The competition is fierce. To compete on the international stage, dancers must earn their spot. Like the Olympics, teams are selected to compete based on skill level, and only those granted a bid are eligible to enter.
The fight for one of these coveted bids looked a little different last year. What usually happens in a packed arena of dancers, parents and judges was instead confined to a screen. Teams from across Australia sent in videos of their routines, hoping to be awarded a spot to compete overseas.
On judgement day, the Diamond Angels and their coaches gathered around a screen with bated breath. When the announcement came, it was a moment coach Kelly Duroy won't forget.
"I just looked at Teagan and burst into tears, and the kids just screamed. You would have heard them screaming kilometres away," Ms Duroy said.
"I was holding my baby at the time and she's crying because I'm screaming."
For the team's coaches, it's a special moment. Ms Duroy and Ms Huntsdale won't just be cheering on their students from backstage. They'll be dancing right alongside them.
"We were able to help fill out the team numbers a little bit. It's so exciting to be traveling there as both a coach and as an athlete," Ms Duroy said.
The trip will be many of the dancers' first time overseas. And while it will be serious dancing, the team are also planning some serious fun.
"We're definitely going to go and visit a Disney Park or two and get some rides in," Ms Duroy said.
For the next month though, it's all hard work as the girls get ready to take on the world stage.
Read more: Dance is a timeless form of exercise
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Rosie Bensley
Illawarra Mercury trainee journalist and newest recruit.
Illawarra Mercury trainee journalist and newest recruit.
