A BARNSLEY ballet star has had plenty of hometown support on her first UK tour.
Tala Lee-Turton, 21, graduated from Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy last year.
But before she trained at the prestigious Russian institution, she honed her craft at a far more local venue - Fearons Middleton School of Dance in Cudworth.
Tala has just been touring the UK as part of a series of shows produced by the Russian State Opera and Ballet House.
And on a stop in Harrogate, where Tala had a soloist role in Romeo and Juliet, she was joined by more than 100 of her hometown supporters in the audience.
And more than 70 of those were youngsters and families from Fearons, where Tala also taught her own masterclass sessions last year.
For many people, the performance earlier this month was the first time they have seen her perform due to her being in Moscow since the age of 16.
Tala said: “Having so many friends, family and young dancers coming to watch me and to show their support, particularly from the school which I started off at, was so wonderful.
“I was honoured to be able to show them what is possible and what you can achieve when you work hard and believe in yourself. To have graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and gaining a contract with a Russian State company and touring the UK with them is just a dream come true.
“I hope to inspire the young girls and boys at Fearons Middleton School of Dance to focus on their dreams and show them that you can achieve what you set out to and overcome hurdles along the way with the right level of determination and support.”
Tala is heading back to Astrakhan, Russia, where the company will continue to perform in its purpose-built theatre, allowing her to focus on developing as an artist and company member.
Her first performance once back in Russia will be a new production of a children’s ballet, Winnie the Pooh, choreographed by artistic director, Konstantin Uralsky.
