What it's Like to Climb Kilimanjaro for Charity

In June 2017, Georgia Canning (aka. The Balanced Ballerina) from Queensland set off on a challenging yet life-changing adventure to climb Kilimanjaro on the Huma Kilimanjaro Open Challenge for a cause very close to her heart. Georgia is a full-time ballet advocate, teacher and studio owner, whose mission is to “breakdown the elitist barriers often associated with ballet so that everyone can enjoy the grace it can bring to everyday life”.

So, when Georgia decided to climb Kilimanjaro it made sense to combine it with teaching ballet and fundraising for Anno’s Africa - a Creative Arts organisation that runs ballet classes within the Kibera slums of Nairobi. Part of her fundraising was done through her Peace and Plies ballet classes at her studio.

We asked Georgia to tell us more about her incredible adventure, something she describes as one of the hardest and most amazing things she’s ever done.

“The overall highlight for me was teaching the ballet students in Kibera slums before the climb, but if we’re talking about climbing Kili… is it weird if I say the highlight was actually finishing a book for once?! I guess I didn’t realise how relaxing and soul searching the trip would be. I had so much time to think, absorb my surroundings and thoughts and just be happy in my own company (despite having my uncle and guides always close by).” - Georgia Canning