of the school meant having access to education that they wouldn't have otherwise had, one of the goals of the school, in addition to training its students to be top ballet dancers, is to educate them about the world around them. All the students, regardless of the status of their families, whether they're peasants or royalty, receive the same training and education. By the time they graduate, the children of Theatre Street will have beaten the odds many times and have spent more than half of their lifetime reaching for what can seem like an unreachable goal. "Like the religious life, the life of a dancer requires devotion and endless repetition of physical phrases and a ritual striving for perfection that is always out of reach."4
             Each year thousands of children, aged eight through thirteen, apply for twenty spots in the school. Some have had training and have been urged to audition by th
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