Lilla Harvey graduated from ballet school during COVID lockdown, when auditions and performances were abruptly cancelled. She found herself doing ballet exercises on her tiny porch through the Melbourne winter, with only a small heater to keep her warm.

“I was supposed to be graduating but realistically believed that maybe nothing would come of my whole decade of hard work towards ballet,” she says. “That was an enlightening experience – in learning how I motivate myself and why I do what I do.”

Now that motivation has paid off: Harvey has won this year’s $25,000 rising star award at the Australian Ballet’s Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards. She joins soloist Isobelle Dashwood, who took home the $15,000 people’s choice award.

The annual celebration of the company’s upcoming talent took place after the final curtain call for Jewels at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday night.

Harvey says she was “over the moon” to win. “It’s helped me realise everything you want is on the other side of fear,” she says. “And to grow, you have to be open and trust that if you’re honest, kind and hardworking, then that’s your best and that’s enough.”

In an art form defined by perfectionism and specific body ideals, Harvey and Dashwood emphasise self-acceptance in their advice to budding dancers.

“Do not waste any time trying to be something you’re not, or comparing yourself to someone else, because you’re never going to be anybody other than yourself, and that’s a good thing,” Harvey says. “Keep defining what makes you you.”

Dashwood adds: “I have struggled with confidence throughout my career. Just trusting yourself and knowing you are enough is key. If you have a dream, don’t let anyone else define how you get there.