Local resident, Emily Albert, is a small town girl with big city dreams.
The 13-year-old ballerina has recently been accepted into the prestigious Goh Ballet in Vancouver, to train for the summer in the International Summer Intensive Program, and throughout the next school year in the Junior Pre-professional Program.
She became inspired to start dancing five years ago, after watching the Cinderella ballet at the Royal Theatre with her nanny (grandmother).
Albert said the idea of ballet enthralled her, and she immediately knew her lifelong dream would be to become a professional ballerina.
“I just love the idea of it,” Albert said. “The way you express with your body, and basically everything.”
It also seems like the passion for ballet courses through her veins, as her nanny danced with the National Ballet for about 10 years.
The Goh Ballet is the first step into the professional realm for Albert, but she has been working towards it diligently for years.
Since October, Albert has been dancing at the Victoria Academy of Ballet.
She busses into Victoria five days a week after school, doing her homework on the way to ballet class.
Albert usually dances for about three hours before busing back home to Sooke.
“She’s been doing it since October, and she hasn’t complained once, so I’m pretty proud of her,” said Albert’s mother, Paula.
When asked if she’s happy with her skill level, Albert said she will always look to improve.
“I’m pretty happy with it, but you always have those things that you definitely want to improve on. You’re never fully satisfied.”
The young ballerina takes her art seriously, and hopes to one day grace the stage of some of the most renowned ballets in the world.
“Two places that I’d really want to go is either the New York City Ballet of the Royal Ballet in England,” Albert said.
Roles she would like to dance when she becomes an industry name, include the Arabian and the Waltz of the Flowers in the Nutcracker or the main part in Coppélia.
Although Albert has been accepted into the Goh Ballet, she has an audition next month for the Alberta Ballet.
Depending on the outcome of the audition, Albert maybe headed to the Lower Mainland or B.C.’s neighbouring province.
And while there is no question of Albert attending the Goh Ballet’s summer program, her move to Vancouver for an entire school year is tentative on securing adequate housing.
