Pupils earn places on ballet programmes

Two pupils from the Harrogate Ladies’ College schools are celebrating gaining places with prestigious ballet programmes after beating the competition at intensive auditions.

Highfield Prep pupil Oscar Crellin has been accepted onto the Royal Ballet School Junior Associate Programme after competing with 1,000 students for just a handful of places.

Oscar, who trains at the Yorkshire Ballet Institute under Lucy Emery has now started classes with teachers from the Royal Ballet School via Zoom.

Oscar will continue to study with Yorkshire Ballet Institute alongside the Junior Associate Classes.

Meanwhile Harrogate Ladies’ College pupil and ballet scholar Erin Reynolds has accepted places at renowned ballet schools National Dance CATS, The Scholars and Ballet Boost after undertaking a series of intensive Zoom auditions in lockdown.

Erin, who studies at En Pointe under Miss Donya a former dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, has also performed with the English Youth Ballet and takes up the vocational training while continuing her studies at HLC.

Sylvia Brett, Principal said: “We are enormously proud of Erin and Oscar for their outstanding achievements in ballet which are testament to their continued hard work and determination.

“Their dedication to their dance training in such challenging times is inspiring, and as a family of schools we look forward to watching their talents as they take these exciting next steps on their ballet journey.”