Recruiters from one of the world's top dance schools have stopped in Christchurch to audition the local talent.
New York's Joffrey's Ballet travels the world looking for dancers to join an elite four-year programme.
For many dancers, after years of training and dedication, this is the moment of truth - dancing for an opportunity to join the world's best.
Eagle-eyed recruiters have flown halfway across the world to recruit for New York's Joffrey Ballet School, their elite four-year training programme already having produced 15 professional dancers this year.
"We have students from Mexico, we have students from South Africa, we have students from Italy - you name it," Joffrey Ballet School's Era Jouravlev said.
In a country that has just one ballet company with a handful of places, it is a chance to make it big internationally.
"Each student that's come into the class, potentially, is going to be a dancer for me. I truly believe in each one of them," Ms Jouravlev said.
Dancers have travelled from Auckland to Invercargill for the audition, arranged by Christchurch's Southern Ballet.
Competition is tough. Sixteen-year-old Annaliese Graham has already been dancing for five years.
"There's some pretty good people here," she said.
Classmate Liam Thomson picked it up three years ago.
"Professional ballet dancer all the way, that's all I want," he said.
The results are two weeks away, and their teacher is quietly confident.
"If they have heart and the passion for this, anyone can make it," Southern Ballet head teacher Lioudmila Solovieva said.
One thing is for sure - Christchurch is a contender in the worldwide search for a superstar.
Newshub.
