A young dancer from Rossett School in Harrogate has been offered a place at one of the UK’s most elite training schools.
Max Cookward, 16, who is in Year 11 and lives in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, auditioned for a place at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in Twickenham.
Despite strong competition from other hopeful dancers, Max was delighted when he was told he’d been successful. He will begin training after completing his GCSEs at Rossett School this summer.
Max said:
The Rambert School has been a dream of mine since I watched the Rambert Dance Company perform a few years ago and was inspired by the strong, athletic male dancers.
Ever since then, my ambition was to go there but it is one of the hardest ballet/ contemporary schools to get into so I never thought it was achievable.
Max started dancing at the age of 10, and later gained a place at the Northern Ballet’s Centre for Advanced Training. He now trains with the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, as well as taking weekly classes in gymnastics, ballet and modern dance.
Max said:
I completely love to dance and it is my number one passion in life. It’s such an amazing art form and is incredibly enjoyable, even though it’s actually very gruelling and puts a lot of strain on the body.
Headteacher Helen Woodcock said: “Max has always shown exceptional talent for dance and winning this place is the culmination of many years of dedicated practice.
“He has also worked hard in school and will continue to do so as he prepares for his GCSEs this summer. Knowing he has secured his place at the Rambert School means he can now focus on his exams and achieving his potential..
“We’re all very proud of Max and look forward to seeing him on stage as a professional dancer in the future.”
Max will be moving to London to take up his hard-won place, and will spend three years dancing full time, training for five to six days a week and working towards a BA(Hons) in Dance.
Looking to the future, Max hopes to pursue an exciting career in dance.
Max said:
Rambert produces some incredible dancers who travel the globe in amazing world famous dance companies.
I hope to join a classical company such as the English National Ballet or Mathew Bourne’s ‘New Adventures’, or a more contemporary company such as the Rambert Company itself or the Netherlands Dans Theatre.
