Young dancers are taking part in a gruelling month-long summer intensive in a bid to take their skills to the next level.Bermuda Civic Ballet students De’asia Smith, Imani Edwards, Mikayla Wilson, James Waddell, Eryn Beach and Dominique Anderson Willis have been given the opportunity to hone their talents thanks to sponsorship from the English Speaking Union.The scholarship is typically given to one student taking part in an overseas dance programme, but this year the ESU decided to divide the money between six students dancing on Island.George Peterich, an ESU committee member, said the organisation was committed to helping students further their education.“We had some money left over and didn’t need to spend it on members. We wanted to invest in culture and the community and particularly education and have been donating for the past 12 to 15 years.”Junior dancer De’asia Smith, age 13, said the scholarship was “pretty important” and encouraged her to dance to her best ability. “I got one last year too, so I have just been doing my very best,” she explained.The budding ballerina said she enjoyed seeing talented dancers brought in from overseas and watching how they did certain moves differently. “It inspires me to be much better and I take in what they do and it helps me to become a better dancer,” she said.Patricia Deane-Gray, a trustee for the Bermuda Civic Ballet, said the summer intensive has taken place since 1959.The programme, started by famed ballet teacher and dancer Ana Roje, has typically seen local students travel to Croatia to expand on their dancing skills and knowledge.This year two international students from the United Kingdom and two from Italy are also undergoing training in Bermuda.Mrs Gray said: “We have [the intensive] each summer to help students learn. We are able to educate the dancers mainly because its intensive and four weeks long.“It starts from 9am in the morning and goes until 7pm at night, so they cover more in a month than they would in a year in an ordinary ballet school and I also have their undivided attention.”She said: “They grow and gain a great deal from it and they are very fortunate this year because they have been invited to continue their classes under the Civic’s evening classes and they will be performing in Romeo and Juliet when it comes on in August.”Senior dancer James Waddell, 21, said he was thrilled to be a part of the upcoming production, along with dancers from the Croatian National Theatre.“For me it’s a very interesting opportunity because three of the guys coming in [from Croatia] are about the same age as me, so it’s good to see other people about my age dancing with other companies and watching them to see where their skills sets lie and if they have strengths or weaknesses in any different area.“You can learn from watching any other dancer you come across. For instance if someone is much better than you, you can think what makes their [moves or posture] so much better.“At the same with people that aren’t even as good as you, it gives you the opportunity to look and see if you are able to do something differently.”Mr Waddell, whose mother Coral Waddell is a ballet teacher, has been dancing since he was three-years-old.He said the programme allowed him to keep in shape and focus on his skills before returning to London. It has also been quite demanding, he said.“There have been nights I haven’t left the dance studio until after 9pm. What gets me through are Nature Valley [granola bars], water and the passion I have. You have to love what you do if you want to be a dancer.“It doesn’t pay well, you don’t get the appreciation you deserve in a lot of instances, you dance your life away through blood, sweat and tears and you have to consider why dancing is so important to you.“For me I have always got a thrill from being on stage and having to push and get better and improve in some ways, so I always have something to do [to improve].”Professional dancer Dominique Anderson Willis began dancing around age ten. She is currently working with Gaspard and Dancers ballet company in Durham North Carolina and teaches high school students at the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte.“For me the summer intensive is just a chance to refocus and retrain away from other distractions because I live in Charlotte now. So for me it’s away from my natural every day life. It’s a time to come and slow down.”She said the intensive also gave her time to brush up on her Russian ballet techniques, which are quite different from dance styles in the western world.For Imani Edwards, age 13, this is her first time taking part in the summer programme. Her mother Angela Edwards, who toured Europe as a dancer in her younger years., encouraged her to dance.“My mom is an inspiration to me because if she never signed me up I wouldn’t have been here today dancing with the Civic Ballet.“I enjoy it because I get to learn how different people dance and about their different culture, where they come from and stuff,” she said.