Dancer joins Sadlers Wells national tour
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Lewis Cooke, aged 17, performed in Vertical Road at The Point, Eastleigh, Hampshire, on Friday night, and will be heading to Ipswich, London, Newcastle, Leeds, Glasgow, Suffolk and Birmingham over the next month.
The tour is part of London dance house Sadler’s Wells youth programme to provide youngsters with the opportunity to work with a range of choreographers.
This year’s artistic director is Akram Khan, who choreographed and performed in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
Lewis said: “It’s wicked and once-in-a-lifetime. I’m one of the youngest people in the company. It’s extremely demanding, but everyone has gone through it.
“We’re treated as professionals because we’re working with professionals. It’s really exciting.”
The Trinity School sixth form pupil has studied ballet with Allenova Dance School, Thatcham, since he was 12, attended West Berkshire Youth Dance Company, Newbury, for the past four years and is a member of ACE Dance Company, Newbury.
He was nominated for the National Youth Dance Company scheme by Trinity School headteacher Charlotte Wilson, who also allowed him to take his BTEC diploma in dance in one year rather than two so that he could apply to study his degree at dance school a year early.
Lewis said it had been a busy year as the course involved 12 hours practical and more than 12 hours coursework a week, but that it had been worth it.
He added that he was shocked to have been offered a place on the BA (Hons) contemporary dance course as he was only 16 when he auditioned, and that just 50 places were available to the 800 applicants.
London Contemporary Dance School has only ever offered four other students under the age of 18 a place.
