Dancer wins British acclaim

Delia Mathews has been learning ballet since the age of 5.Picture / Alan Gibson

A 16-year-old New Zealand ballet dancer has been judged one of the best young dancers in Britain.

Delia Mathews, who is a student at the Royal Ballet School in London, impressed a panel of international judges to come second of 16 dancers in the award finals on Saturday.

Her proud parents, Tim and Sally Mathews, flew to London to watch the sold-out finals at the Royal Opera House after finding out last week that she had made it through several preliminary rounds of competition.

Delia began studying at the prestigious school in September as a 15-year-old - the youngest girl accepted in an intake of only 28 students from around the world.

Less than two months after she arrived, Delia was selected to perform at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles and paying guests.

She has been doing ballet since she was 5.

The winner of the Young Dancer of the Year Award, run by the Royal Ballet School to foster emerging classical dance talent in Britain, was James Hay, 16. Third place went to 17-year-old Andrew Peasgood.

Past winners and runners-up have gone on to artist and soloist positions at leading European ballet companies.

Debbie Gooch, who taught Delia at Tauranga's Dance Education Centre, said she was delighted with her former student's success.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," she said. "She's a New Zealander over there in Britain, standing out on her own."