IT did not take much convincing for Leisel Rose to leave her Clarkson home and move to Melbourne after she was accepted to The Australian Ballet School.
The 15-year-old has been dancing since she was three and attended classes at Gail Meade Performing Arts Centre in Wangara since she was seven.
In 2013, she was selected by audition for The Australian Ballet School’s interstate training program, which for the past two years has involved regular school holiday trips to Melbourne to take part in specialised ballet training workshops.
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READ NOWAfter taking part in an intensive training week last year, Leisel was invited to the national audition finals, where she was observed during a week of classes and performed a classical solo for a panel of eight teachers from the school.
A few weeks later, she was one of only two girls from Perth to receive a letter of offer.
“I didn’t want to get my hopes up and the wait seemed like forever, but when I opened my letter and read that I had been accepted into The Australian Ballet School for 2016, I burst into tears,” Leisel said.
“Though I couldn’t believe it, I felt as though my hard work had paid off and my dream was coming true.”
Leisel and her family have now moved to Melbourne, with Leisel starting at the school last week.
“I am so grateful to my parents, who have given up much of their time and their lives in Perth to come to Melbourne and support me as I commence my full-time training,” she said.
“Not many people get the opportunity to move interstate or overseas to chase their dreams and I feel very lucky.
“The school is one of the top training ballet schools in the world and will provide me with the training I need to improve as a young dancer and progress to becoming a professional in the near future.”