Just like the fictional Billy Elliot, 11-year-old Henry Gow’s road to becoming an elite ballet dancer has not been without its struggles.
After developing an interest in dance at a young age, he quickly outgrew the classes on offer in his regional town — with his parents driving for hours every weekend to get him to professional lessons and performances.
All the while, his mother has been battling cancer — and of course Henry’s younger siblings also need care and attention.
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And now, like Billy in the much-loved movie, Henry has a chance to attend the ballet school of his dreams in Sydney — but it comes at a cost.
His family have vowed to do all they can to make Henry’s dream a reality.
Henry becoming a dance prodigy in the NSW northern regional town of Armidale was “not something that I ever expected” his mother Ashlee Gow told 7NEWS.com.au.
“Henry used to come to the movies with me a lot … and one day an ad for the local dance school came on the screen,” she said.
“He said, ‘What’s that, mum?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s dancing. It’s a dance school’.”
Gow said she took the very eager, then-four-year-old Henry along to the open day being advertised
“He was in preschool, and we have not stopped since,” she said.
Gow and husband Alex began taking Henry to tap dance classes, but he was soon encouraged by one of the teachers to try ballet.
“It turned out he was quite a natural at it,” Gow said.
“And he really liked it. He loves it. And now we’re here.”
As Henry began to excel, his dance teachers suggested he receive lessons from a retired ballerina almost two hours away in Inverell.
“They said she’d be able to give him some really precise training,” Gow said.
“So, we’ve been driving over to Inverell every weekend since, for over a year.”
Henry would also take classes online to reduce some of the need for travel.
His dedication paid off and he was accepted multiple times into the Brisbane City Youth Ballet’s Junior Company — and was recently promoted to the main company.
But that also meant even more driving — six hours just one way for rehearsals and events.
“It’s a bit of a commitment but he gets a lot out of it,” Gow said.
“The thing is, definitely living in Armidale, there’s not a lot happening in ballet here.
“So, we have to keep going to capital cities.”
Distance hasn’t been their only challenge, however, with financial and health struggles lingering in the background of every happy moment.
“When I was pregnant with our third baby, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer,” Gow said.
“Henry was only three when that happened so they’ve sort of known only ‘cancer mum’ for their whole lives, I guess. Especially Henry.”
Henry is the oldest of three, with brother Leo, 10 and sister Lucy, 8.
Gow has undergone multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy over the past eight years and will continue lifetime chemotherapy maintenance treatment to remain healthy and stable.
“I just had treatment yesterday and then I go to work with the treatment attached to me through a Port-A-Cath in my chest,” she said.
Gow was over the moon to hear Henry had been accepted on a partial scholarship to a prestigious dance school in Sydney next year.
But what fees they do have to pay means the early childhood educator will need to keep working — even through spells of nausea and fatigue — to help support her son’s dream.
“Henry is reaching for his dreams and he’s really keen, but he’s also very gracious — he’s like, ‘Mum, if we can’t afford it, we will just keep doing what we’re doing here’,” she said.
“I’ll just keep doing the best that I can.
“I know he really, really wants it so I’m trying my hardest.
“His big dream that he keeps talking about, he really wants to have a go at the Australian Ballet Company.”
The family have set up a GoFundMe to help pay the tuition while also giving Gow a chance to rest — and spend time with their two other children.
“I am well most of the time, however, it would also be my dream knowing that Henry’s big goals don’t have to be impacted by my poor health,” she said.
“I may be biased but he is an amazingly dedicated and beautiful kid who I have no doubt will be sharing his craft with big audiences in the future.
“Everything he’s gone for he’s committed to 100 per cent so he could probably do it.”
