Dancing her way to the professional stage
All signs point to a bright future for a Welland teen who’s been accepted to one of Canada’s prestigious dance schools.
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Pilote has been dancing ballet for two years — intensely for just a year. After such a short time learning the dance form she has been accepted to Quinte Ballet School in Belleville.
As Pilote sits across from one of her two dance teachers from W2 Dance Studio in Port Colborne, she beams with excitement.
Haley Wells, co-owner of the studio with her sister Shannon Thususka, said Pilote’s progress has been quite impressive.
“Ballet is the hardest form to learn, so it’s not typical for people to progress that fast,” she said of her young student.
Pilote has been dancing at the studio for the past five years, but two years ago she decided she wanted to try ballet. Wells said it was a surprise when Pilote decided to learn ballet because it’s much more complicated, and there is more discipline required than other dance forms. But right from the get-go, Wells said, she could tell ballet was something Pilote loved.
For the perfectly poised teenager, the complexity and difficulty of the dance is what she loves most.
“It’s really hard and I really want to get it right … it’s just trying to get better,” Pilote said about why she enjoys ballet.
She is practising for a few hours four days a week, and also competing. Once she starts school in September, that will all change. Pilote will have regular academic classes until about noon Monday to Friday, followed by about six hours of dance. Pilote said she will also practise on weekends and after school if there are upcoming competitions or performances.
Pilote hopes to become a professional ballet dancer and being accepted to Quinte has set her in the right direction.
Wells said Pilote will have to continue to work hard throughout the school year, because the year is an audition for her to continue at the school the following year.
Pilote said she wants to complete grades 11 and 12 at the ballet school and will work diligently to do just that.
“I trained really hard to get to this point, so I’m happy to have made it,” Pilote said.