Miss Busse’s long-time friend and former student Julie Webber said while it may be the end of an era, the Melbourne-born dancer’s legacy will live on.

“Edna had this presence about her unlike any other person I’ve ever met,” she said.

According to Ms Webber, who knew Miss Busse for more than 40 years, the prima ballerina inspired many young people to love the art of dance.

“Edna made you appreciate the movement of the body,” she said.

“She was so passionate about what she did, and disciplined, capable, talented and every other positive word you can think of.

“As soon as Edna came to Wagga, there was a whole new professionalism to the ballet scene that they were so lucky to gain.”

With a successful career on international and Australian stages, including time with the Borovansky Ballet, Miss Busse retired from performing in the 1950s.

She soon created a foundation for teaching in Melbourne and in the late 1960s was head-hunted by the Wagga community to spread her love for dance in a new region.

In 1968, Miss Busse opened her ballet school in Wagga where she would teach into the 1990s and be honoured as an officer of the Order of Australia.

Ms Webber was a student at Miss Busse’s Wagga-based ballet school from the age of 13 after dreaming about dancing with the star since she was a little girl.

“I wasn’t from Wagga initially and I would always see these beautiful dancers being taught by Edna,” she said.

“I had to be a part of it, I wanted to be like them so when my family moved to Wagga it was a dream come true.”

Ms Webber said the ballerina’s decision to step out of her comfort zone and move to a new city was a true reflection of who she was.

“She was a highly sought-after lady, and coming to Wagga was a huge gamble – she knew no one and was leaving behind this big success to try something new,” she said.

“That’s just who she was though – always giving people a shot and always backing herself.”

Ms Webber said Miss Busse’s influence on her students was life-changing.

“She inspired so many of her students that a few have even started their own ballet schools and, honestly, that is the best gift, not just to Edna but to all of us who cherish her and everything she did,” she said.

A beloved daughter, sister, aunt and friend to her late parents Edward and Amy, and siblings Dorothy, Ernest, Rose, Les and Lillian, Miss Busse celebrated her 100^th birthday in August.

Relatives and friends will celebrate Miss Busse’s life at the Lawn Cemetery Chapel in Lake Albert on January 9 from 11.30am.