PRIORY Vale’s Charley Logan has danced almost as long as she has walked, and has now won a place on the Danish Dance Theatre’s apprenticeship scheme.

The 21-year-old, who studied at Bradon Forest School before going on to the London Contemporary Dance School, won the coveted place after applying to several post-graduate dance schemes.

Now she needs to raise £2,600 towards the cost of the year-long training scheme, and further funds to pay for her living expenses.

Charley said: “It’s such an exciting time. It means I will go out to Copenhagen in August for a month to train with the company.

“Then we come back to London and we get the opportunity to train back here with the theatre.

“From the new year to the spring we will be back in Copenhagen and will go on tour with the company which will be an amazing experience. It’s the next step in my career. It’s a humongous opportunity.

“I applied to a number of places and had a number of auditions and this was my first choice.

“I got the news the same week as my 21st birthday, so that was amazing. They specialise in performance and since that’s what I want to do it really suits me.”

Charley first started her dance career at Swindon Dance when she joined the Parents and Tots class at the age of two.

She attended creative and ballet classes and joined the Swindon Dance Company before joining the Youth Dance Academy when she was 13.

Now she hopes to take the next step in her career through her apprenticeship with the Danish Dance Theatre.

The theatre helps to develop students’ performance skills by placing them with a host company during the year and giving them the opportunity to perform in professional settings.

Charley said: “I’ve been dancing since I was very young and I always thought of it just as a hobby.

“It’s just something I always felt really passionate about. When I realised that I could actually do it as a career I just knew it was what I wanted to do, and it’s just gone from there.”

So far, Charley has applied for several grants including the Fund For Excellence and TalentAid to try to raise the money and relied on the support of her family and friends.

She said: “I want to say a big thank you to my friends and family.

“I am so grateful for all the love and support they have given me.”