A young Indigenous dancer from Lockhart River has been selected for a Sydney holiday program run by Australia's premier Indigenous ballet company after just one year of training.

Seven-year-old Kayla-Rose Rocky will travel to Sydney in April to take part in the Yurali Ensemble Ballet holiday program.

The program was founded by Australia's first Indigenous ballerina, Ella Havelka.

Yirrganydi woman and Sand and Sea Dance Company founder Caitlin Sands had nominated Kayla-Rose for the three-day program after seeing her progress in ballet since last year.

She outlined why Kayla-Rose stood out.

"She started ballet a year ago, she's just a really naturally talented little girl, very passionate and has a natural and cultural connection to music and dance," Ms Sands said.

"I sent off an application for Kayla to take part in the Yurali Ballet Ensemble, to see what would come back and she was accepted, so she's going to do training in Sydney which will finish off with a performance."

Ms Sands noted opportunities for Indigenous children in the arts are important in supporting young dancers break down barriers that had long seen limited access to creative industries.

"It's really important to give opportunities to First Nations children to embrace their talent in the arts because it wasn't long ago that we were segregated and those unspoken barriers still exist a little bit, so getting to break that down when we do have the talent," she said.

Kayla-Rose trains across several styles, including ballet, traditional dance, jazz and tap.

Ms Sands said that range had helped her develop as a performer while staying connected to culture.

"(Kayla-Rose) does like traditional dancing as well as ballet, she does jazz and tap and embraces opportunities to showcase her Aboriginal culture through dance," she said.

Kayla-Rose has already performed at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics Civic Reception, as well as NBL, NBLW and AFLW events.

Ms Sands said the Sydney program was the next step in her development.

"She's danced at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics Civic Reception, she's danced at the NBL, NBLW, AFLW, so she's had some amazing opportunities at such a young age. And this is just the next (progression)."

The Yurali Ensemble Ballet offers a free, three-day April school holiday program (14-16 April 2026) in Sydney for Indigenous youth.

Original reporting by Cairns Post.