A young Christchurch ballet dancer has been offered the chance of a lifetime - a place with the American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York.
Sonia Woods,16, is believed to be the first-ever New Zealand-trained female dancer the school has ever accepted.
Ever since Sonia was young she has dedicated her life to dance and now has a big journey ahead.
Through daily effort and unwavering passion, the work is finally paying off.
"My mum actually sent me a text saying congratulations, and I was really confused. I was like 'what?', and then she was like, 'check your emails', and then I got it and me and my sister were screaming and jumping around," she said.
Sonia is one of just 14 female dancers to be accepted to the top level of the prestigious JKO School in New York in 2022.
It feeds students directly into the American Ballet Theatre, one of the world's most famous companies.
Attending the school has been years in the making for Sonia, who decided she wanted to become a professional dancer at the age of 11.
The school's prestigious nature means she's going to have to work hard.
"She's going to be busy dancing so she won't have too much time to get in a lot of trouble, I think," Sonia's mother Megan Woods said.
She'll be leaving her family in Christchurch behind, to move across the world.
She'll also be leaving her teachers too, who have been by her side since she was four years old.
Canterbury Ballet director Alexis James, who is one of Sonia's mentors, said: "Sonnie has just worked so hard, and she's been such an amazing woman while she's done it, she's like the most humble kind person who's just so dedicated."
She's currently looking for sponsors to help fund the move.
For Sonia, the adventure is just beginning and the bright lights of New York City await.
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