A LOCAL boy has been accepted into a prestigious dance school.

Rohan Celino, 10, from Chineham, has been awarded a full-time place at the world-renowned Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.

He had previously also auditioned for the Royal Ballet School and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts before securing a place at Elmhurst, making it into the finals for all three schools.

Rohan first took an interest in ballet during the initial 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, after previously being involved with gymnastics, trying some online ballet workshops.

READ MORE: Charity group that teaches adults to read looking for volunteers

He found that he enjoyed ballet, and later attended an all-boys dance class before joining the North Hampshire Academy of Dance in Basingstoke prior to auditioning for Elmhurst.

Rohan’s mum, Amy Celino, said that he feels “really honoured” to have earned a place at Elmhurst, and that “He’s absolutely over the moon.”

Amy also said that she is “incredibly proud” of Rohan; both for this achievement, and his advocacy towards boys studying dancing.

“He’s always been very proud to do ballet.

“He went into school immediately when he started ballet and told his friends he did ballet.

“He wants boys to be able to recognise ballet like a sport, yes, it’s an art form, but they train just as much, if not more, than some other sports that are male orientated.”

SEE ALSO: Basingstoke business celebrating being recognised with prestigious Queen's award

Rohan will start at Elmhurst in September on a scholarship.

He will have regular academic lessons alongside his dance training.

Elmhurst Ballet School was founded in Camberley, Surrey in 1923, before moving to its current location Edgbaston, Birmingham in 2004.

The school is very exclusive, only taking roughly 200 students at a time; entry to the school is by audition, with students joining from Year 7 onwards, and graduating after year 14.

It possesses state-of-the-art training facilities and has a close relationship with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Elmhurst also provides financial assistance to 80 per cent of students who trains there.

Notable alumni of Elmhurst Ballet School include Dame Merle Park, Thomas Forster, and Tanja Liedtke.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.