12:20pm Saturday 4th July 2009
By World reporter
A WORLD renowned ballet dancer gave a masterclass to gifted Widnes boy Daniel Dolan.
Irek Mukhamedov began his professional career at the Bolshoi Ballet where Daniel has just won a place.
Irek, the company’s leading male dancer for nine years, was presenting prizes at Daniel’s school, The Hammond in Chester.
Daniel, aged 16, is off to the famous Russian school after an anonymous wellwisher offered to pay his fees of 1,000 euros a month.
Daniel, of St Luke’s Crescent, said: “This is such an honour as only two other Brits have ever been invited to train with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.
“This really is the first step towards achieving my dream of becoming an international dancer.”
The talented teenage, who started dancing at the age of four, and has just sat nine GCSEs.
He starts at the Bolshoi after three intensive months at New York’s Juilliard, where he has won a summer scholarship.
Daniel, a former pupil at Holy Family RC Primary School, Cronton, is also the first winner of the BA Great Britons Programme.
Under the scheme, launched by British Airways as part of its sponsorship of the London 2012 Games, a £500,000 travel fund helps budding talent realise their dreams.
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