FOUR talented ballet students have achieved successes at top companies. 
Nicola Peros Ballet School is celebrating the success of four of its Barry students securing associate places with The Royal Ballet and Ballet Cymru.
Stefanie Maurer, nine, who is a junior associate, first started ballet lessons at the age of four.
The youngster, who is a pupil at St Baruc, has just secured another year training with The Royal Ballet.
Stefanie’s grandmother, Margaret Von Lierop, said: “Steffi is at ballet now four hours on a Saturday, two and a half hours on a Sunday, two hours on a Monday and an hour on a Thursday. That is because she likes to go and help with all the younger classes. Ballet does seem to be something that is within her.”
Bridget Peake, 13, will return to the Royal Ballet for her fifth year, having passed rigorous assessments.
Rhiannon Staples, 14, and Caitlin Coles, 15, have, meanwhile, both been granted places with Ballet Cymru.
Rhiannon, who is a pupil at Bryn Hafren in Barry, will be returning for her second year at the company.
Caitlin, who took the lead role of Clara in the Nicola Peros Ballet School production of “The Nutcracker”, said she is “looking forward” to pursuing a career in ballet.
“Like a lot of little girls, I have grown up wanting to be a ballet dancer,” she added.
“If I cannot succeed as a dancer then I would like to become a ballet teacher and I am also considering training to become a RAD teacher.” 
Ballet school principal Nicola Peros said: “I am extremely proud of my students. They have shown real commitment throughout all their ballet training and it just shows that hard work really does pay off in the end if you want to follow your dreams. It is an exciting time for dance in Wales now with two national dance companies on our doorstep and with Welsh dancers making it in to the top ballet companies.”