The Stage/Italia Conti scholarship winner 2023

Ria Straker has won The Stage Scholarship 2023 in conjunction with Italia Conti. The 18-year-old from Surrey has already started training on its BA (hons) Dance course, the value of which is in excess of £47,970, covering all training fees.

We caught up with Ria just as she began her first term at Italia Conti.

“I’m exhausted, but it’s been really good so far. When I was younger, I started gymnastics and dance at the same time, and I did both in Saturday classes. At the time I preferred gymnastics, probably just because you get to flip about and do whatever. And then I had to choose between the two,” she says.

Ria’s early classes in Surrey were with the Nichols School of Dance in Walton-on-Thames, where she gained experience in ballet, tap and modern dance.

“Even though I was only about 12, I decided it would be better to aim for a career in dance, as it offered more routes that I could follow. I loved gymnastics, but I’d fallen in love more with performance in dance.”

‘Italia Conti has a warm, family vibe that makes you feel at home, so I was in tears to win this’

That early training can be vital for anybody planning to audition for dance or drama college. To Ria’s surprise, however, the auditions at Italia Conti were thorough but remarkably relaxed. “So we did a ballet, contemporary and a jazz class. They were about half an hour each, with a very chilled vibe. I realise now that Italia Conti has a very warm and family vibe that makes you feel at home. Everything was very intense, but in a good way. I didn’t realise there was a scholarship scheme for the degree, so when I got the call about it, I was in tears. I was over the moon just because I’d worked really, really hard.”

While Ria has only just begun her training, she already has very strong ideas about the shape her career will take. Italia Conti trains versatile dancers in a range of styles and techniques that will enable them to enter the professional dance sector with confidence.

“I’d love to work on a cruise ship as a dancer,” Ria adds. “After dancing professionally, I’d love to teach, helping to build the next generation of dancers, because I love to see younger people enjoying it as much as I enjoyed my early years. It’s a nice feeling.”

italiaconti.com