Sudbury dancer tells of life at the National Ballet School

When Emily Murray of Sudbury, Ont., attended the National Ballet School in Toronto, her typical days were weren't much different than other high school students, at least for part of the day.

Murray, who just graduated from the school, said the other students in her class became like a second family.

"We were all experiencing the same thing," she said. "In my class there were girls from Amsterdam, a boy from South Africa, a girl from Romania, and some Americans."

"Our grade dynamic we really supported each other," she said. "Some of the dance world is portrayed as [ultra competitive,] but at least for us we were more like a supportive environment because we are so close."

Homesick, at first

But it wasn't always so welcoming for Murray. In her first couple years at the school, she said she wondered if she even wanted to pursue dance professionally.

"I was homesick at the beginning," Murray said. "I remember the first few times I called my mom saying 'Mom I want to come home, I don't want to be here."

"I'm sure that was really tough, hearing your daughter cry on the phone," she said.

"But she knew that's not what I was really thinking. By the second year, Grade 9, I just knew."

"And I've never looked back."