A GIRL from Melksham has been selected to dance in the English Youth Ballet’s (EYB) production of Swan Lake, which will be staged at the New Theatre in Oxford on 16th and 17th June.
Tess Eames is 11 years old and is a pupil at Seend Primary School. She has been attending 4 Stars Dance in Melksham since the age of four years, where she dances in a variety of styles including ballet, tap, modern, Latin and ballroom.
Tess’s mother, Laura Eames said, “We are so proud of Tess. She was so nervous to do this, but she has done so well and we can’t wait to go and watch the performance. This is the first time she has done anything like this. She put herself forward for the audition where there were around 180 other dancers auditioning. They kept on 80 dancers and Tess was one of them. In the build up to the performance there has been 11 rehearsals in total. She’s really excited and we are really proud of her. If Tess had it her way, she’d dance everywhere she goes, rather than walk.
“She’s got lots of friends and family going to watch and possibly the headteacher and deputy headteacher of her school.”
Amanda Corrigan, Tess’s dance teacher at 4 Stars Dance said, “Tess has been a student at 4 Stars Dance for more than six years and attends many lessons throughout the week. I teach ballet to Tess and feel really proud to learn that her hard work and dedication has been recognised and awarded by the English Youth Ballet. We are all looking forward to seeing her perform on stage.”
English Youth Ballet principal, Lyndsey Fraser said, “I wish I had danced with EYB when I was young. The dancers learn so much about performance skills and the artistry of ballet. I love working as a principal dancer with EYB because I get to dance fantastic roles and teach and watch the young dancers’ progress. The sets and costumes in the production are superb and the whole experience is one the young dancers (and the audiences) will never forget!”
Tess said, “I’m really enjoying training for Swan Lake, it’s an amazing opportunity and I’m really excited for the performances.”
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