By Romy Stephens
Montrose’s Maggie Vos is shaping up to have quite the career in performing arts.
The 15-year-old recently made the top five of two-part reality television show This Is Calisthenics.
The show, which aired on channel 7TWO on 1 July, followed the journey of 15 elite Australian calisthenics performers, as they auditioned and performed to take out the This Is Calisthenics title.
At 15-years-old, Maggie was the youngest contestant to make it through to the show’s prestigious final five.
The achievement was a milestone for the young talent, who hopes to one day excel in musical theatre.
Maggie’s calisthenics journey began 10 years ago.
“I started when I was five. My mum put me in dance and calisthenics and she told me to choose one,” Maggie said.
“I never ended up choosing because my coaches’ mum, who’s had a really big role in my calisthenics, told mum to let me do both, so now I do both.
“I think dance really helps your calisthenics, especially ballet, they go hand-in-hand really nicely.”
Maggie now trains every night, about 22 hours a week, which includes piano and singing lessons.
But the busy schedule hasn’t seen Maggie’s passion for being on-stage dwindle.
“I love performing and I love being part of a team that all like to perform as well. I love my coach and I love everything she does for me,” Maggie said.
“She’s one of the main reasons that I love calisthenics.”
Maggie’s coach, Brooke Synnott is the principal at Regent Calisthenics in Ringwood.
Maggie’s mum, Mallory, said Brooke was an “exceptional” teacher and if Maggie were to have a successful performing arts career, it would be largely due to having such great guidance.
“You have calisthenics coaches and then you have Brooke Synnott and that’s largely because she’s done musical theatre. Her experience that she brings to the table is huge in terms of creativity,” Mallory said.
“One thing that I’m quite boastful to other people thinking of coming to Regent is the holistic education that they receive.
“She’ll have sessions with these girls where they just might talk the whole class and they talk about not just how they feel but about their goals.
“She gives them that breadth of understanding and a way to think about things that they may not necessarily do at their age.”
Throughout This Is Calisthenics, Maggie was often praised by the judges for her ability to bring theatre into her performances.
She, along with the other contestants, also had to deal with unique circumstances during the show.
From having cameras filming from all angles to having strict Covid-19 restrictions in force, including social distancing during filming and learning group performances through Zoom.
However, it was Covid-19 that actually made the show possible. With an absent TV slot, due to other sports being cancelled, producers decided to shine a light on the unique sport of calisthenics.
But the need for social distancing within the show meant parents were unable to view the performances until they were screened on TV – something that was difficult for Mallory.
“Watching her dance is one of my favourite things. Something I’ve really missed over the pandemic is watching her dance and perform,” Mallory said.
“We’ve been a team for many years…I find comfort watching her and going ‘she’s really done a beautiful job of that, what will be will be’.
“She’s very consistent and reliable so academically I knew she would have done a good job, I just wanted her to feel happy in herself and think there was nothing she could have added.”
This Is Calisthenics is still streaming on 7plus. For more information about the show or sport, visit calisthenics.asn.au.
