Chinese girl studies at the Bolshoi Ballet

When Josephine Cheung Ching-nga checked her e-mail on the bus coming home from dance class two years ago, she almost screamed with excitement.

At 15, she had been accepted by Russia's prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Years of diligent practice, often at odds with her parents' wishes, had paid off and her dream had come true. She had become one of the first two Chinese students to be admitted to the academy.

Her passion for dance began at the age of three, when she asked for lessons after becoming fascinated with pictures of ballerinas.

"Dancing allows me to leave everything behind. It's as if I've entered another world - one without pressure, where I belong. It cheers me up. I can express my feelings - be it happiness or pain - through dancing," says the 18-year-old, who is back in Hong Kong for the summer.

Josephine started lessons at the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet and worked her way up to the class for elite students. As a young child, she performed at hotels over Christmas and in New Year parades. She often practised seven days a week, even though she still had to study for her school subjects. Josephine says she always had high expectations, and although there were times when she was frustrated and angry, she has never thought of giving it up.

But her mother, Heidi Ma Wan-shan, had other ideas. She hoped her daughter would study hard and lead a more stable life.