Ballet Manila scholar Juan Angelo De Leon, 12, has been named as a participant in the London-based Royal Ballet School’s exclusive International Scholar Programme this year.

The program identifies exceptional talent in young ballet students who live outside of the United Kingdom with a limited number of slots offered only by special invitation. 

The Royal Ballet School also named the following as international scholars, along with De Leon: Antonio Cortese (Italy), Sophia Hudson (Australia), Rei Kida (Japan), Yudai Kumano (Japan), Chelsea Potter (Australia), Isabela Saqueti (Brazil) and Aron Simon (Italy).

The school’s website, https://royalballetschool.org.uk, features a short bio and photo of De Leon and lists his achievements as an international ballet competitor: “Angelo started training aged 10 at Ballet Manila as a Project Ballet Futures (PBF) scholar. He has gained 1st place in the pre-competitive B, Asian Grand Prix (AGP) Manila Regionals 2019; Bronze Medal in the AGP Finals 2020 in Hong Kong; Gold (classical performance B) and Gold (group dance in the AGP Manila Regionals 2020; and silver medal (classical performance B) and Gold (group dance in the AGP finals 2020 in Hong Kong).”

It also quotes De Leon as saying of receiving the prestigious scholarship: “Thank you for choosing me to become an International Scholar at The Royal Ballet School. I am very happy and it is a great honour for me to have this opportunity. I am excited to learn in the training provided by this programme.”

Despite the metro-wide lockdown imposed last year because of the pandemic, De Leon and other Ballet Manila scholars have continued their training through online classes of The Lisa Macuja School of Ballet and have participated in its virtual recitals.

Last December, the young dancer competed in the Asian Grand Prix Video Competition Finals where he emerged as the silver medalist in the Performance B Division and where he was given a full tuition scholarship to The Royal Ballet School Summer Intensive.

De Leon will take online classes with the school in May and, if travel restrictions are eased, may undergo a week-long training in London in August. 

Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde said she is happy and proud of De Leon and his latest achievement. In The Royal Ballet School website, she is quoted as saying: “With his immense talent, dedication and commitment to hard work, I am very sure that he will progress even further in his dancing and become a professional dancer of the highest calibre in the future. As a Project Ballet Futures scholar in my school, he is one of the reasons we continue to audition and support PBF scholars. Ballet training can transform lives – one child at a time.”

Osias Barroso, Ballet Manila co-artistic director and also a mentor of De Leon, also praised the latter, saying the boy has a good future in ballet if he continues to work hard. “He has a gift, and it is up to him to continue improving and be the best dancer he can be. But all that comes with self-discipline and listening to his teachers.”

Selection for the Royal Ballet School’s International Scholars Programme is by special invitation only, according to the school’s website. “The School’s Artistic Director will invite international students who are not training at a major international vocational school and have an outstanding potential for classical ballet. This is the only way to gain a place on the programme. There are a limited number of places on the programme available in any given academic year.”