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Beth Edwards has dreamed of being a professional ballet dancer almost from the first time she put on ballet shoes, at the age of three.
She’s been through a lot of shoes since then and currently wears out a pair of pointe shoes every two weeks, but her focus has never wavered.
Now, aged 16, she is combining full-time classical ballet training with her NCEA studies.
The teenager leaves home in Manly at 7am each weekday for her classes in the city and is not back until 6pm.
Alongside this, she does her NCEA study by correspondence and so far has achieved Distinction in Royal Academy of Dance exams, as well as Excellence in all her NCEA subjects.
There is little time for a social life, but Beth knows that hard work, commitment, focus, an element of luck – and, of course, money – are all part of succeeding in the competitive world of dance.
At the end of her two years of training, she will be able to audition for professional ballet companies which will take here one step closer to performing on the world stage.
Training currently costs $20,000 a year (those pointe shoes alone cost $150 every two weeks) and as well as selling hand-crafted gifts, baby-sitting and applying for scholarships, a Givealittle page has been set up. To donate, search for Beth Edwards.
