Ballet dancer Izabelle secures place at top performing arts school
Youngster Izabelle Pitt has danced her way into one of the country’s top ballet schools.
The 11-year-old has received a scholarship at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts after fending off hundreds for the spot.
She will start at the prestigious school in September this year, where she will train in dance for more than 15 hours a week.
The youngster from Wombourne made the finals of the Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst Ballet School and Tring Park School, before settling on her choice of school.
Izabelle said: “I’m very excited. I want to dance in the future and I’m ready for it right now. I really like dancing and practising.” Suzanne Pitt, Izabelle’s mother, said: “It’s very prestigious and it has been incredibly stressful.
“Every time there has been a letter come it was a sickening thing, because Izabelle wanted it so much. She got one of the two scholarships.
“I was very proud. We’ve not really celebrated that much – we got her a balloon.”
The 35-year-old added: “We’re just going to have a huge change in our family dynamic because Izabelle will only come home every four-ish weeks and it’s quite a distance away. We’ve been focusing on this point for so long. I’m kind of going to feel a bit lost without having to do it all with her. I received a phone call and they gave me the chance to accept or decline for Izabelle. We knew as soon as we were offered somewhere she would accept it straight away. She’s going to be really brave. She does not know anybody but she’s entirely focused.”
Izabelle will be leaving home in September to train at the school – a move which has been backed and funded by Suzanne’s partner Danny Jones. Suzanne, who is also mother to six-year-old Zara, added: “She’s very young to be leaving home. If she continues she will never live here full-time again. She’s kind of flying the nest – it’s very bitter-sweet.”
The talented dancer was cast in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker in December last year.
