Whitworth dancer to audition with the Northern Ballet School

A dance career could be a step closer for Jaydan Hanson-Beech as he awaits an audition with the Northern Ballet School in Manchester.

Year 11 student at Whitworth Community High School, Jaydan has been dancing since he was about four when he first tried street dance at Bacup’s Dansworks Dance Academy.

The 15-year-old said when he attended an open day at the Northern Ballet School he was only one of three boys compared to 15 girls.

He said: “I started dancing just to give me something to do and then I started doing musical theatre. I got more into theatre style dance and I progressed into street tap, then tap and ballet, jazz, musical theatre and contemporary.

“I like ballet and contemporary the most because they are more expressive forms of dance where you can show how you feel with your moves.

“With your facial expressions you can show the mood of the whole dance and link to your audience.

“When I first took up dancing it was just for something to do, then it became more of a lifestyle choice and now, I hope, ultimately my future career.”

Jaydan was fortunate to land a place with the Regional Youth Ballet’s touring company production in 2016.

He is an avid fan of the X Factor, but spends more time watching the dancers that accompany the singer, rather than the main contender.

Jaydan said: “My parents are very proud and they are trying to push me on with my dreams.

“They keep telling me to just work hard in school and keep on pushing to make my dreams come true.”

He hopes to be accepted on a dance diploma at Northern Ballet School. For the first year he will study a variety of different dance genre and then, in the second year, will select a dance style to specialise in.

However, Jaydan doesn’t dream of the limelight and the leading role, he said he would be happier in a supporting role behind an artiste illustrating their song through dance either on stage or in a video.

He added: “For me dance is a way to get away from the reality of the whole world.

“When I am on stage dancing, I forget about everything that is going on and just think about the joy of the dance and how it makes me feel to be on stage performing.”