Originating in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and being further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form, ballet has grown to become one of the most highly thought of dance forms.

Ballet has recently become the center of attention in the media, with the popular Hollywood movie The Black Swan, featuring actress Natalie Portman highlighting the physical demands of the art itself. The film portrays ballet in a alternative light, rather than the sensual and poetic art that it truly is.

Thomas Arnold is one teenager that understands just how demanding an art it is, having secured a place at one of the best ballet schools in the country. Lincoln born Thomas won a coveted seat at the renowned Central School of Ballet in London at just 16 years of age, and is now studying a degree in the subject in the city full time.

Central School of Ballet was established by Ann Stannard and the late Christopher Gable CBE in 1982. The founders wanted a school that truely valued the artistic expression in dance, as well as the importance of technique within the dance form.

The Senior School course is one of the most comprehensive dance programmes in the country, and helps students go onto careers in classical ballet, as well as contemporary dance and musical theatre across the world.

To win a place at the Central School of Ballet, applicants must go through an extremely competitive audition process. They must have the correct training, they must have the correct physique, and must have the correct aura of determination about them.

Thomas originally found out he had won a place at the renowned school in May 2011, winning one of 38 places that were available to enthusiastic ballet students around the UK. He was chosen from more than 420 applicants, after competing through the various audition processes.

“I found out after my parents, as my dad was the one who opened the letter back at home. They called me to let me know, and of course I was shocked.” said Thomas. “It was a pleasant surprise to find out I had won a place, but it felt like the next step really.”

Thomas began dancing at the young age of four, beginning with ballet and then tap dance.

“My mum did tap classes and I wanted to join in, so I went along and started dancing from then.”

Thomas showed his love for the art from a young age, with his determination and passion for it ever increasing. At the age of six to the age of ten Thomas trained at Janet Revan’s School of Dance in Lincoln, and later attended the Elmhurst School of Dance in Birmingham.

“I did start dancing at a young age, but I don’t think that to become a good dancer you need to start at the age of four necessarily, but if you start at the age of ten or eleven you can train your body well enough to then focus yourself on getting into one of the top two boarding schools that will take you on in dance. The main thing you need is determination, and you need to know that it really is what you want to do.”

“Ballet is extremely tough, and is not meant for everyone. To progress in ballet you must have the correct physique. In ballet, a lot of the skill is how you look and how you hold yourself.”

In two and a half years Thomas will be ready to embark on a career path following his attendance at the Central School of Ballet. Thomas hopes to find work in the UK with one of the five main ballet companies in this country. Many students from the school continue with ballet companies throughout Europe, including Barcelona and Estonia.

“The training can be strenuous, it is physically demanding and takes great dedication.” says Thomas. “I prefer to dance to classical music, but I don’t have a preferred piece. I do like a challenge though.” he adds.

A typical day starts at 8am with dance classes, and written research undertaken through the day at the School. Thomas then ends the day in a gym session, before finishing around 7pm. One tip he gives to anyone wishing to further themselves in dance, and to anyone wanting to get fit, is to strengthen your core, and perform lots of cardiovascular exercises.

“I eat just like anyone else, for me it’s all about the training.”