AMHERST - A 12-year-old ballerina is on her way to Winnipeg this summer.
Michaela Stiles has been accepted to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's summer program beginning July 4.
"I'm really excited," Michaela said as she was beginning a practice at the Amherst-based Atlantic Dance Academy under the instruction of Dina Leisch.
"I'll get to meet a lot of new people and train with different instructors."
Michaela travels from Riverview to the dance academy three days per week for instruction.
Dancing for the past eight years, Michaela says it's something she's always done.
Her older sister, Corina, who is 14, attended the school's summer program last year and had been accepted to the regular program.
"I like ballet because I'm able to project my emotions through the dance," Michaela said, adding she likes the costumes and different characters she's been able to perform as.
Throughout her years with the dance school in Amherst, Michaela has danced in a number of performances, and has five different roles in the 2009 Nutcracker Ballet.
This year she has the part of the ballerina doll, snow, meringue, pas de trios and flowers.
Leisch said Michaela continues to work hard toward her dream of becoming a ballerina.
"She is a hard working and dedicated student," she said following Michaela's audition in Moncton late last month.
The ballet school is traveling across the country to select the best and most gifted students for the 2010 summer program.
According to Leisch and her husband Helmut, the summer school is an intensive and rigorous program to identify gifted and dance-educated students who are then offered a coveted placement in their professional ballet school.
Other than ballet, Michaela likes to read. She's a Grade 7 student at Riverview Middle School.
rtetanish@amherstdaily.com
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