Two youngsters from Birmingham have been offered places on the Royal Ballet School’s junior associates programme and 14 others have been accepted onto the Elmhurst Ballet School’s young dancers programme.
A further six young dancers from Birmingham, currently on the waiting list for the Royal Ballet’s young associates scheme, have been offered a place on a short-term programme. All participate in Birmingham Royal Ballet's dance track scheme.
Carlos Acosta, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a governor of the Royal Ballet School and a vice-president of Elmhurst Ballet School, said, "all the gifted young people taking part in our dance track programme are amazing and I’d like to congratulate each and every one of them.
“However, for these 22 young dancers in particular—and especially in these challenging times—this is a milestone opportunity to develop further the skills and talent our dance track team has brought out in them during their time with us at Birmingham Royal Ballet.
“I’m incredibly proud of them and I look forward to watching their progress as they continue to inspire many others by following their dreams of becoming professional dancers.”
Birmingham Royal Ballet's dance track is a free programme designed to identify, nurture and develop talent and potential in young people aged six to eight in Birmingham. It has been Birmingham Royal Ballet's flagship outreach programme for more than 23 years, delivering workshops annually to some 2,500 young people in 48 schools across Birmingham, the majority of whom would otherwise have no opportunity of experiencing ballet and dance.