Lam Chun-wing had little time to play this summer, but he never complained. Every day he went to ballet classes and practised in front of the full-length mirror. He knew every step he made was crucial on the path to his ultimate goal: becoming professional.
The 12-year-old - along with 117 other ballet students - attended an intensive training course, Hong Kong International Summer Dance School, from late July to last week. The students practised at the Jean M Wong School of Ballet, which organised the programme, from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.
They were taught by eight top dance teachers from Hong Kong and overseas. Their lessons were not confined to classical ballet but embraced a full repertoire of skills, from contemporary dance to jazz.
The programme ended with a gala dance performance involving the summer students and a further 1,000 students from the school's six branches last week. It featured a 60-minute fairytale ballet, choreographed by teachers, and seven ballet classics.
This year, the school granted scholarships to six students from foreign countries to promote exchange. School head Jean M Wong said summer was the ideal time to get dance students together because they were too busy during the school term.
'They can fully focus on advancing their dancing skills,' she said.
