Ballet girls to dance with National Youth
TEENS TO MAKE THEIR DANCING DREAMS COME TRUE
TWO young dancers are realising a dream by dancing at Sadler’s Wells with the National Youth Ballet.
Charlotte Douglas and Jessica Templeton are looking forward to 10 days of intensive training in Birmingham before performing with The National Youth Ballet in their production of Time In Motion.
Jessica, 14, started dancing at the age of four, and Charlotte, 13, began aged just two.
Until September last year Jessica was training at The Katherine Brett Academy of Dance in Jesmond, Newcastle and was an associate dancer with The Hammond school, Elmhurst Ballet school, Ballet West in Edinburgh and The Royal Ballet School Associates weekly in Newcastle.
Jessica was awarded two scholarships last summer, one for Elmhurst Ballet school and also for Tring Park performing Arts, where she now has a vocational place.
Mum Jayne said: “Jessica was very fortunate to be offered to train with The Royal Ballet summer school for two weeks in July with dancers from all over the world and also has been accepted as a senior associate with The Royal Ballet School starting in September in Covent Garden.
“On the 6th August Jessica won the prestigious All-England finals Gala Young Ballerina of the year award and also the contemporary award at The Hackney Empire in London. She was awarded a scholarship of merit by The National Youth Ballet and can’t wait for the opportunity to perform at the end of month.” In April Charlotte played Snow White for the Jade Harrison School of Dance show. She also attends Elmhurst young Dancer Associates in Sunderland and Ballet West Associates in Glasgow. She recently gained a place on The Royal Ballet Mid Associates starting in September and was awarded a full scholarship for English youth Ballet for two consecutive years. Charlotte has also received the junior award from The National youth Ballet. National Youth Ballet’s artistic director Mikah Smillie said: “The excitement created by working professionals, emerging artists Mika Smillie this and young dance students creating and being inspired by each other is so incredibly exciting. It not only provides our young dancers with a snapshot into how company life works but it also develops important learning skills, creative partnerships and most importantly, lifelong friendships which are at the beating heart of every dancer’s life.
“The team at The NYB look forward to nurturing and developing these alliances, providing performance opportunities for a greater number of young people across the whole of Great Britain.”
The National Youth Ballet 30th anniversary performance at the Crescent Theatre, Birmingham and Sadler’s Wells, London, called Time in Motion, is a programme of seven ballets performed by a company of young dancers aged 8-18 from across the UK.