15 March 2024 , 00:58
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A young boy who was bullied for his love of ballet has been accepted into one of the world's top dance schools.
Oliver Quinn, 10, from Salford, knew he wanted to be a ballet dancer from the age of five when he left a football class in tears. Despite being bullied for his passion, Oliver never gave up and his talent continued to grow. Now, with secondary school on the horizon, he's been accepted into The Royal Ballet School in London.
Oliver, 11, spent 18 months training six days a week for his audition at The Royal Ballet School. And he was one of just 12 boys from around the world to be accepted, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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Oliver Quinn is so excited about his acceptance (Zoe Quinn)Oliver's mum, Zoe, 32, said: "We told him while he was at dance school and it was really emotional. He cried, I cried, his dad cried. He was so happy and so relieved. Right through primary school he's been bullied. He used to come home upset. But it's made him stronger; it made him want to do it more.
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"Around the age of five, as typical parents would do, we took him to a football class and he came out crying saying he wanted to do ballet. At first he said, 'I know you're going to laugh because I'm a boy and I want to do ballet.' We told him we would never laugh at him if that's what he wanted to do and he's never stopped. I don't know where he gets it from it's certainly not me! ".
"It's been really difficult because it's a very female-dominated environment and he's had a really tough time with people picking on him for doing ballet. He expressed he wanted to go to a ballet school and he trained six days a week for 18 months just to try and get in."
Oliver trained six days a week for his big audition (Zoe Quinn)Oliver had an initial audition for the school before being invited down to White Lodge in London, one of two sites for The Royal Ballet School, for a final audition alongside 30 other boys. Oliver is set to move to London this September to live in boarding halls at White Lodge.
He dreams of being a top ballet dancer, performing the main parts in shows. His mum Zoe, who has four kids, said: "We're incredibly proud of him, myself and his dad. We're still in shock that it's actually happened. We're beyond proud; we can't even put into words how proud we are of him.
"His dance studio Vale Studios and private ballet coach Tierney Heap have been so supportive of his journey. Everyone is so proud of him because they know how much he wants it. He's so driven towards what he wants to do."