Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) performer Charlie Waller is about to follow in the footsteps of his elder sister after being offered a place at one of the world’s leading ballet training institutions, The Royal Ballet School in London.
The P6 pupil from Blackhall celebrates his 11th birthday later this month. From September, he will enter Year 7 at the Royal Ballet’s Lower School at White Lodge, in London’s Richmond Park.
With around 1400 people applying to join The Royal Ballet School every year, Charlie has secured one of only 10-12 places available to new Year 7 boys. He will become the only Scottish male currently at the School joining his 12-year-old sister Emily, who was invited to attend last year. The pair will also become the only Scottish siblings amongst the international student ranks.
Admission to The Royal Ballet School, which attracts the highest calibre young dancers from across the globe, is based purely on talent and potential. Its alumni include Margot Fonteyn, Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Wayne Sleep, and Darcey Bussell. Along with a daily routine of classical ballet training, the Lower School also provides a strong focus on academic qualifications with its students studying core GCSE subjects.
A pupil of the highly-regarded EDA since the age of three, Charlie currently attends 14 classes with the Edinburgh-based school every week participating in ballet and other styles of dance. He is also a Junior Associate with Scottish Ballet and was recently cast as Young Cinders in its production of Cinders.
Commenting on his forthcoming move to London to take up his place at The Royal Ballet School, Charlie said: “I’m so excited to be going to such a great school with so many other boys and girls who love dancing.
“I’ll miss my mum and dad and especially my little brother, Arty (3), but I’m looking forward to being at school with Emily, doing ballet in a class full of boys every day and hopefully getting to perform with The Royal Ballet company at some point.”
Charlie’s mum, Morag, said: “We’re so pleased that Charlie has been given this opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a professional dancer.
“Since he was a toddler, he has always loved dance and EDA has been crucial in helping him progress to this current level. Joining The Royal Ballet School will now enable Charlie to further develop and maximise his talent.
“While it will feel very strange not having him here under our roof and we will, of course, miss him terribly, we know how much this means to him. We’re also reassured that he and Emily will be together in London.”
Julie Mitchell, Principal and Founder at EDA, said: “Charlie is a lovely boy who has been with EDA for most of his young life.
“He’s got incredible drive and real talent as a dancer so we couldn’t be more pleased about him securing a place at The Royal Ballet School.
“We are very proud of his progress to date and we look forward to seeing him further develop his dance skills through this new and exciting chapter.”