Arts1 School of Performance: Charlie

Student Story

Charlie

Hi my name’s Charlie and I am 9 years old. I have been coming to Arts1 since I was 5 when I first came to live in Milton Keynes. Even as a toddler I loved street dance and so my Auntie suggested Arts 1 to me as a way of learning some cool dance skills and at the same time making some new friends. After watching ballet on the TV with my Auntie and cousin one Saturday afternoon I realised that I would like to do a ballet class to improve my strength. In ballet I have a good friend who it turned out goes to the same school as me. Although I am the only boy in my ballet class I really don’t mind. Everyone is made to feel very welcome. In fact, I was making so many friends at Arts1 and having such fun that I was really happy to join the Stage Acrobatics and Musical Theatre classes.

I have done my Grade 1 ballet exam – which was scary but I felt great afterwards and I did better than I expected. Doing the exam taught me that I have to work hard to get results. I was part of the Cinematic Show showcasing my ballet and Musical Theatre. This was at The Venue which has a massive stage. There were hundreds of people involved from all the different Arts1 classes – even my Auntie who is in the adult choir! We did three shows over the whole weekend with fantastic costumes, music and lights and it is one of the best things I have ever done.

Being at Arts1 has really improved my confidence. I have growth hormone deficiency which means that I am very small for my age and that without daily injections I would not grow at all. This can make it hard for me sometimes. I can get teased and left out and made to feel sad because of my size – but not at Arts1. No-one gets left out. I was invited to join Arts1 Management which is a children’s acting agency. I have been to lots of castings which are really good fun and through this I got to go to Liverpool to feature in an advertisement for the Premier League – which was another amazing experience. It was so cool when at school other students and teachers came up to me and said that they had seen me on TV and even at the cinema!

I’ve already made so many fantastic memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I’m sure there are many more to come. I hope that reading my story has inspired you to give an Arts1 class a try. If you see me, come and say “Hi”. I look forward to meeting you there.