Hayfield teenager becomes one of youngest students ever accepted into Northern Ballet School

Erin Burgess has been dancing since she was five with her dream being is to perform on the stage. Now, since she has been accepted on to a three year course to study ballet that dream is one step closer.

The 15-year-old from North Road in Hayfield only sent her audition video off last month and has already been accepted.

She said: “I can’t believe it, I thought it would be months before I heard anything back and I thought they might say no as I’m still only 15 and they normally take people after their A-levels when they are 18.

"I’ve been dancing all my life and I’ve always known about how good the Northern Ballet School is so I’m over the moon to have been offered a place.”

Erin has wanted to go to the Northern Ballet School since attending a summer school there in 2019. Since then, she has worked with her dance teachers at New Mills Dance and Theatre Centre to prepare her audition piece.

She said: "I had to film it in a friend’s office as there wasn’t enough space in my living room at home.

"I was in the middle of my online school chemistry lesson when my mum shouted up to me to come down stairs and she had got the email saying I had got it in. It’s still not sunk in properly for me.”

Erin’s dance teachers have told her as her 16th birthday is not until July she is one of the youngest people to ever have been accepted onto the course.

She said: “I can’t quite believe it. I’m so excited as I know people who have gone to that school and had amazing performance careers.”

Instead of living there she will be commuting to Manchester for her course and now she is waiting to hear about finance support to enable her to go.

She added: “I’ve had so much support from my mum filming my videos and my dad driving me everywhere as well as help and encouragement from my grandparents who have all been so amazing in helping my follow my dream.”

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