“When I was five, I went to see my sister's dance production, and after the show, I remember walking down the stairs up to the stage. I took a step onto the stage, and I felt this thrill go up through the soles of my feet, and it sent a chill down my spine. “I turned around and looked out into the auditorium at all the seats, and I remember thinking; 'Oh, I like it up here! I want to be here.' And I have been here ever since.” Iona will attend Matala, the first tertiary Performing Arts course to be run in Blenheim by Fua Creative to further her education.