A five year old Hong Kong girl has won 11 international dance competitions - all in one day - the SCMP reports.
Pearl Chan Pui-yee is the city's youngest person to win gold, silver and bronze medals from Britain's International Dance Teachers Association. At four, she won 11 cut-throat international dance competitions in a single day. And if she takes a pre-associate licensing exam next year, she can become an assistant dance teacher at the age of 6.
The busy child prodigy has been supported by her parents who have spent thousands of dollars on Pearl's achievements, which include singing, piano, harp and golf as well as dance. Pearl's mother, Selina Lam-yai an wants her daughter to attend a boarding school in the States or Canada, but says that competition is fierce: when ringing a boarding school to enquire about music places, the school reportedly said "So what? Everyone has a Grade 8 nowadays".
Lam insists that it is her daughter's prerogative to dance, which she started aged three, rather than pressure from pushy parents. "No one can force her to do this. She wouldn't have won so many awards if she was forced to learn," Lam said. And when quizzed by Lam, Pearl confirms that she wouldn't be happy if she didn't win awards (she's previously won 45).
Pearl attends Yew Chung school, one of the most expensive in Hong Kong charging 12,800 yuan ($2,000 / 16,000 HKD) per month. Pearl's extracurricular activities cost more than 16,000 yuan ($2,500 / 20,000 HKD) per month, and her parents also employ an after school tutor. Lam quit her job as a merchandiser to concentrate on her daughter's education.
[Image via SCMP]
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