Ballet for a Boy Sydney 2015/16

I hope everyone has had a great start to the new year. I want to give a big thank you to everyone for your support and help to get me over to Sydney. I had such a great time, learnt so much and already planning to go over again at the end of the year again.

It is such a great experience to be taught by men who have had careers as professional dancers and then have become teachers. They are all such good role models and a real inspiration for me. This is what I want to do in the future. I want to have a career as a professional ballet dancer and then later on, as a choreographer and teacher. I hope I can end up inspiring young boys (and girls) the way these teachers do.

I have had a few changes this year, I am doing a ballet class at a different school which means I get to do class with two other guys which is lots of fun.

I no longer practice up at the gym, I now have a practice hall, with wooden floors, yay, which I have once a week for several hours in exchange for me cleaning windows. I do the rest of my practice at home in my studio, my mum gave up the lounge, sold the couches, so that I have my own dance space.

I have been going to ballet intensives with Martin James and have been learning a lot, learnt new variations and Martin doesn't mind me doing pointe with the girls. I've got some new black pointe shoes coming over from Russia soon. My feet are too big and I can't buy my size here in New Zealand. I'm proud to say that I bought those myself by doing gardening jobs.

It's another year of working hard, lots of practicing and learning as much as I can. Thank you for being a big part of my training, without your help I would not have made it to Sydney. Thank you for your generosity!!!!!!!!

Have a great year everyone - Salem :-)