Young dancer following in very talented footsteps

Violet Stout, from Swinley, will follow in the footsteps of some of the most famous names in dance after being accepted onto the UK Cecchetti Ballet Associates programme,

The talented 11-year-old, who trains at SK Dance Studio in Appley Bridge, applied for the September intake of the highly-respected training programme and recently found out she had been accepted.

Violet, who has been dancing at SK Dance since she was two, was encouraged to enter by her teachers at the school and is delighted all her hard work has paid off.

She said: “The audition was really tough. Not only was it a really hot day, but there were so many very talented dancers there, all competing for a place. I knew I’d have to work extra hard to stand a chance of success, and I was determined not to let this dream opportunity pass me by.

“I gave it my all.”

Violet will begin training with the Northern Associates group in September where she’ll be taught by a professional faculty in the world-renowned Cecchetti method of classical ballet training.

SK Dance principal dance teacher Susan Kielb spoke of the scale of Violet’s achievement and the studio’s delight at having one of its dancers pick up such an honour.

“There’s a huge amount of competition to gain a place on the Cecchetti Associates programme, so we’re proud as punch that Violet has been successful.

“This is such a fantastic opportunity for her to further her ballet training and I know she’ll fully embrace it and make us very proud.”

The teaching method Violet will now learn was developed by legendary Italian dance maestro Enrico Cecchetti and is known for its rigorous nature.

Cecchetti himself taught legendary ballet dancers such as Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky, while British pupils included Marie Rambert, founder of Ballet Rambert, and Dame Ninette de Valois, who founded the Royal Ballet School based on the Cecchetti method.