'I'm going to study acrobatics at circus school'

A teenager with a talent for aerial acrobatics has secured a place at "circus school" to study showmanship.

Beccy Thomas, 18, from Rufforth near York, will enrol on a three-year undergraduate course at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London.

She only started taking aerial classes at Studio Cloud Nine in York four years ago, but immediately fell in love with the adrenaline-fuelled activity.

"When I finished school and everyone was saying, 'what do you want to do now' and mentioning different things, I just wanted to do circus," she said.

Miss Thomas takes trapeze, hoop and silk classes, all of which involve being suspended from the ceiling using various apparatus, performing movements and holding positions.

One of the most well-known is the drop, when an aerialist will perform a controlled fall into a different pose.

This can include free falls, rolls, or other rotations but the emphasis is on the moment of the descent, which is a test of strength and control.

"On your first time doing a drop you think 'oh gosh I can't do this', it's that rollercoaster feeling," Ms Thomas explained.

"But after a few times, it's just fun."

After encouragement from her aerial teacher Zoe Partington, Miss Thomas decided to apply to study at the centre.

She described her family as supportive, if a bit surprised, that she wanted to pursue a career in performing arts.

"I think at first it was a bit of a shock, but I've always been the crazy child," she said.

"After a while I just decided 'I want to do this' and I told my teacher and she'd mentioned this university and I thought it was so amazing, I just had to apply."

Places on the three-year course are highly sought after - the centre only accepts 30 students per year - and she had to go through a rigorous application process.

This included submitting videos showcasing her capabilities, before being invited to an audition day in London with other hopefuls.

Ms Thomas will be starting in September, and will graduate with a BA Hons in Circus Arts.

The curriculum includes theory, juggling, clowning and even mastering the art of the teeter board, an apparatus that looks like a seesaw.

Once graduated, Miss Thomas hopes to follow in the footsteps of previous alumni, and join the Cirque du Soleil or the entertainment team on a cruise ship.

Speaking on behalf of herself and Studio Cloud Nine co-founder Dmytro Kulyk, Ms Partington said: "We couldn't be prouder of Beccy and what she has achieved and we were both thrilled to find out she had received a place.

"Her journey is a testimony to her dedication and hard work, an inspiring reminder that impossible is nothing."

Reflecting on the "lightbulb moment" that convinced her to turn her love for circus arts into a future career, Ms Thomas added:

"I was just so into it. I was just completely obsessed and still am."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.