A young girl with a passion for dance is looking for help to enable her to pursue a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.
Jessica Gledhill, aged ten, who has been dancing since the age of four, is one of 20 children who have been picked to attend lessons fortnightly with the Royal Ballet starting in September.
However, with this exciting opportunity comes fees, uniform, and travel expenses – which are challenging for her mum Lucy, who is on her own.
Jessica said: “She tries her best to ensure I don’t miss out on anything but I know it’s hard as I also have two other siblings.”
So far, just over £800 has been raised on a GoFundMe page set up by Lucy to help Jessica.
She first started ballet at the Noise and Chance School of Dance in Lynn, and fell in love with it. The principal, Trina Lee, nurtured her passion and discovered she had a natural flair – and has been encouraging her to apply for the Royal Ballet associates programme for some time.
Jessica said: “The Royal Ballet school does offer some funding towards this, but this only covers a bit of the fees, so my mum will have to pay the rest.
“It also does not include uniform, and the majority of my travel expenses from Norfolk to London regularly.
“I know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as so few children are offered a chance to train at such a prestigious ballet school.”
Lucy said: “Jessica is a very talented dancer who has such incredible determination and work ethic. She dances around the house constantly and eats, sleeps, and dreams of dance.
“The application and audition have all been driven by her and her desire to dance. She expresses herself beautifully, is elegant, and just wants to share this with the world around her.
“Money raised through this fundraiser will go directly to Jessica’s fees, uniform, and travel expenses for The Royal Ballet School.
“Without your help, Jessica’s dreams will be harder to achieve, which seems a shame as she clearly has a talent and a very bright future with The Royal Ballet.”
