Sixteen-year-old Mia Patton is soaring into greatness in the world of ballet.
It was her cousin Chelsey’s death that sparked Mia’s love of the art, inspiring her to set her sights on hopefully one day becoming a prima ballerina.
Mia’s cousin Chelsey was also a ballerina and Mia wanted to be just like her. Tragically, Chelsey was killed in a murder-suicide, leaving Mia with a sense of determination from the loss. “I know she is with me,” Mia said in an interview with azfamily.com. “When I am dancing, and when I am not dancing.”
In a recent interview with morethandancers.com, Mia shared that lack of financial resources has not prevented her from achieving her dreams. “Ballet is a very difficult skill to achieve. However, I feel that God has blessed me with natural abilities and talent, so it has been easier for me than for most people. Most of my training has been on a part-time basis due to a lack of finances and resources. I started competitions at a later age. I am not able to train as much as I need to or would like to, but I continue to improve and advance by God’s grace. He provides all that I need to be able to pursue my dreams.”
She continued, “My biggest obstacle in pursuing my dreams has been financial. My mom is a single parent and 100% disabled, and we are low-income. Ballet is very expensive, and the girls I train with have the resources for training, competitions, and private lessons. It’s hard to stay competitive when I can’t afford to train like them.”
Mia has had to find creative ways in which to fuel her dreams. “At times I have to train on my own from home because we lack the money for tuition, so my training has never been very consistent,” she says.
Adding, “We have had to be creative and work even harder to find scholarships, ambassadorships, and sponsorships. Promoting my dance journey on Instagram has helped. I have been fortunate to be able to model in exchange for photos to use on my Instagram page. It is a great help because my Instagram page has helped me to get dancewear ambassadorships and scholarships.”
To read the remainder of Mia’s interview, click here. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for this truly amazing young woman. Enveloped in grace, talent, determination, and gratitude…there truly is no stopping her! Mia is unquestionably proving that #browngirlsdoballet.
Photo Credit(s)/Featured Image: Mia Patton Instagram; @aballeteducation
