AN OKEHAMPTON girl has won a scholarship place at the UK?s oldest vocational ballet school. Eleven-year-old Maddy Vallance will start at Elmhurst School of Dance, which has a close association with Birmingham Royal Ballet, this September. Elmhurst is based on a brand new £17-million purpose built site, following its relocation to Birmingham. Maddy?s father Perry said his daughter had to go through a demanding selection process to gain a place. She went to her first audition for the school in October and was invited back to a final audition about three weeks ago. He said: ?She is looking forward to it. She is over the moon. It was like Billy Elliot when she opened the letter and said ?I?ve got a place?.? Maddy started dancing at the age of five and has been taught by Francesca Brown at Langton School of Dance. In the last year, Maddy had also been going to Poole once a fortnight for extra ballet coaching as well as to the Cechetti Ballet in London. Mr Vallance said: ?It has been really hard work to get there, but Maddy just loves dancing.? Maddy was offered the scholarship place after impressing the school in flexibility and ballet exercises at her audition. The world class training at the school could lead to the chance to train and perform with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Mr Vallance said that in the last year, two boys from the school had gone on to become fully-fledged members of the BRB. The school attracts eleven to 19 year-olds from around the world to study ballet as well as following a normal academic programme. The international nature of the school is reflected in the fact auditions for the school are also held in Sicily and Tokyo.
