Fleetwood youngster secures a place at top national dance school

Eva Burrows impressed all three colleges of dance she auditioned for so much she received offers from all three – Northern School of Ballet in Manchester, The Hammond in Chester and Preston Dance College.

She has since had a second audition for The Hammond School, for a scholarship place or grant, and says it is her favourite of the three.

The 16-year-old, who is in her final year at Cardinal Allen School, has been dancing since the age of three and says this marks a fantastic opportunity for her to work towards her dream career.

Eva attends Starlight Stage School in Thornton and when she was just 12, she appeared with English Youth Ballet in their production of Giselle at the Charter Theatre in Preston.

She has appeared in many other productions – including Les Mis and Legally Blonde and competed for Starlight in its dance team all over Lancashire over the last 12 months.

Eva said: “It’s really exciting, I was so pleased when I heard about the offers. It is a nice boost to my confidence to get all three.

“I was a bit nervous at the start of the auditions, but once I got started, I felt more relaxed and then I enjoyed it.

“My first choice is The Hammond School, I really liked it.

“I liked the teachers and their methods of teaching.

“I’ve been dancing most of my life, since I was three, with a bit of a break when I did gymnastics, but I came back to dance. I just love it and I want to carry it on into my career.

“I just like being able to express myself, through the different styles of dance – ballet, lyrical, modern. That feeling of the emotion and connecting with the music. My favourite is probably lyrical because it’s so emotional.

“My goal is to eventually dance on cruise ships or to perform in the West End. My favourite West End shows I’ve seen are Les Mis and Wicked.

“My mum and dad are both so supportive of my dancing.”

Eva dances around six to hours a week, fitting in around school and homework – getting ready for her GCSE exams this summer.

When she goes to college in September, she will live with a host family near the dance school and her time will be split between academic lessons in the classroom and dance practice and skills. The course runs for three years.

Proud dad Scott said: “Eva has a real raw talent. She has done fantastic and I am really proud of her.”