A Monmouth boy has been selected for associate classes at the Royal Ballet School. Eight-year-old Dawid Baraskiewicz, is one of only a handful of children to be successful after hundreds applied. He will continue to train at Monnow Ballet School in Dingestow but will also get Royal Ballet classes every fortnight; here he will join other children whose talent has been spotted and will be nurtured towards national auditions at 11. Dawid started with a keen interest in Taekwondo, achieving his green belt with blue stripe at age seven. He then attended the boys-only dance class at Monnow Ballet and 'Kick start' boys dance days at Tring Park School where he discovered street dance and jazz. After gaining a distinction in his first Royal Academy of Dance exam he decided to focus on his dance rather than his martial arts. He has also been studying in Monnow Ballet's boys-only pilates class, run by his mother Maja Baraskiewicz, a personal trainer. His teacher Nina Salmon is thrilled. "Dawid has a natural talent for dance, and also a lot of strength and flexibility," she said. "It can be tricky for a boy to dance when peers do more traditional sports but there are so many chances for boys these days to learn without girls and to attend inspirational boys only events that Dawid has managed to stay on course. "I am very excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for him." Previous Monnow Ballet pupils who have also been Royal Ballet associates have gone on to be offered places at top vocational dance schools including Elmhurst School for Dance and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.