Port Kennedy’s six-year-old Ryan Jordan Shelley nominated for Aussie title of ‘Ultimate Mini Petite Dancer’

For most children, dancing is all about bopping out of time, dizzily spinning around and tying it all together with a sassy, cheeky pose. But Ryan Jordan Shelly is not like most children. At just six years of age, the Port Kennedy resident is more comfortable doing the splits than he is holding a pencil. Ryan is one of the four Aussie children nominated for the title of Ultimate Mini Petite Dancer, a prestigious national award that will be voted on by the public. Ryan’s nomination came after his incredible ‘Seven Nation Army’ performance at the Kids Artistic Revenue competition in September, a two-minute cartwheel, back-bend and headstand-filled spectacle that wowed judges. If Ryan is crowned Australia’s Ultimate Mini Petite Dancer, he will be flown to America to compete in the USA’s national Kids Artistic Revue competition. “When he was little, he just always loved dancing,” Ryan’s mother Lauren Shelley recalls. “He did a class called Happy Feet at day care and when he finished up at day care, he was just so upset that he couldn’t do that class anymore. “So we searched and searched for something he could get into that was similar, and then from his very first dance class (at Acrodanz in Port Kennedy) he just fell in love with it and his passion grew from there.” But it isn’t easy. Ryan has a rigorous training schedule; he trains seven days a week, four of which are in the dance studio where he takes part in a mix of group and private lessons. Whilst Ryan has dedicated countless hours towards his training, he says he still has lots of fun. “(My favourite part of dancing) is going on the stage and having lots of fun,” Ryan said. So does he get nervous? “No, not at all,” Ryan laughs. “It would make me really, really happy to win.” People can cast their votes for Australia’s Ultimate Mini Petite Dancer here. Votes close on December 29.