Burnley's Unity College student wins place at Joffrey School of Ballet in New York
Scouts from a top ballet school in New York have offered a coveted place to a talented ballerina from Burnley.
Claudia Becze (15) will train at the Joffrey School of Ballet in the ‘Big Apple’ as part of its summer programme in August. Dancing since the age of four, Claudia was spotted during a class at Can You Dance convention in Liverpool.
Established over 60 years ago, the Joffrey remains on the forefront of American dance education. Graduates of the school have gone on to dance for major ballet companies, as well as for numerous modern and contemporary companies, both in the United States and abroad.
A student at Encore Dance School in Burnley, the offer is just the latest in a long list of accomplishments for Claudia.
Last year she was placed first in both ballet and lyrical classes at two festivals, Own The Stage and Manchester Festival. Both pieces Claudia performed were choreographed by Amy Williams who is principal at Encore Dance Studio.
Claudia, a student at Unity College in Burnley, was also accepted into the Northern Theatre Arts Associate Programme, where she trains once a month. In addition, she has been entered into the Dance World Cup, for both her ballet and lyrical solo after she came 10th in the country in the England World Cup.
Claudia has also been chosen to perform the lead role of Alice in Encore’s upcoming dance production Encore in Wonderland, taking place on May 16 at the Pendle Hippodrome. Amy said: “We are incredibly proud of all Claudia has achieved and excited to see what the future holds for her.”