PLIE, en pointe, and repeat — seven hours a day, five days a week.
That’s life right now for 16-year-old Bronte Pike.
The ballerina spends 40 hours a week practising her craft at Osborne Park’s Perth School of Ballet, co-directed by her mother Simone Jackson-Pike.
When not dancing and training, Bronte’s nose is in books: she’s completing year 12 by correspondence.
When conversation turns to boys and parties, she notes, “those things are just not important to me”.
Mature and career-driven, she’ll travel through Europe and the US from March to July to audition at some of the world’s most renowned ballet schools, such as Germany’s Hamburg Ballet.
Bronte’s mother notes just 12 other students have been offered career opportunities like this in her 25 years running the Osborne Park school.
Bronte is determined to become a professional dancer but doesn’t want to let go of her studies: leaving school was a tough decision but one she made to pursue her dream.
“I don’t know how I’ll do it,” she laughs of the juggle required. “But you’ve just got to give it a go.”
Bronte is asking for help to get her overseas via gofundme.com (“Perth ballet dancer heading abroad”) and so far she’s raised $1200.
by EMMIE DOWLING
Perth Voice Interactive 
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