Miss England 2011 finalists Profiles : Emily Ballard

Emily Ballard
Competition Year 2011
Represents 01NaturalCurves
County Warwickshire
City/Town SOUTHAM
Competition Age 21
Height 5-10
Bust 32FF
Waist 28
Hips 37
Dress Size 12
Shoe Size 6
Hair Blonde
Eyes Blue
Achievements
My most recent achievement has been becoming Miss Natural Curves 2011. Previously, I won Miss Leamington and Warwick 2009 and Miss Charity, which I am extremely proud of. Last year I also raised £556 for B-eat in a short space of time which I was very pleased with. I received six A\'s and five B\'s in my GCSE\'s, and then Triple Distinction in my Art and Design National Diploma. I am currently completing the 3rd year of my degree; Photographic Practice BA (Hons) at The University of Northampton. I have taken twelve dance exams with the I.D.T.A and managed to get Highly Commended and Honours in all of them. A couple of months ago I achieved Honours (Top marks at 92%) in my Professional Dance Teachers qualification with the I.D.T.A I have been going to Learning Curves School of Dance since I was 13, and with them I have been lucky enough to perform at The Royal Albert Hall 3 times. This was such a privilege to dance at a professional show in a prestigious venue. I love performing and watching performances with a passion! For me it is the best art form being able to express the music through the body.

Talents
Photography, dancing, teaching dance, cheerleading, sewing. All my hobbies have inter-linked really well as I have done photography for weddings, shows, catalogues and more. My dancing, cheerleading and teaching has given me the confidence I need for the competition. I work well with children and love working for Take-a-Break Warwickshire, a scheme that involves one to one sessions with disabled children. I do this weekly and also get involved with play schemes in the holidays. It is so fantastic when I can get children to achieve things that they never have before, and to generally lend a helping hand.

Ambitions
I would love to become a portrait photographer in the future, and while I can... experience modelling on the other side of the camera, as it is something I thoroughly enjoy. Hopefully, this will improve my skills as a photographer! It is so important to me to push the notion of REAL WOMEN. My aim is to promote a healthy and happy lifestyle to women of many ages, but mainly young women who feel put down by unrealistic images they see every day in the media. Variety is the key thing, we need it in what we eat, what we see in magazines and very importantly, the competition needs variety to show the range of talent the country has. Variety being a reason why I am very proud of England. I have the confidence and drive to represent all those beautiful curvy women out there, and get girls like us to be recognised more by the fashion and modelling industry. Ultimately I want to become a teacher, although I have not decided whether my calling is Primary or Secondary Education. Young children are so inspiring to me, but I feel I connect well with young adults and I want to excite them about their future. I definitely intend to carry on teaching dance so I can give back what I have learnt and continue to encourage exercising in a fun way. To be able to travel, would be amazing so I can learn more about other cultures. A dream I have always had, is to ride an elephant and work with these amazing creatures!

Sponsorship Info
Learning Curves School of Dance Photography: Clare-Louise Photography T:two Photography Fresh Photography Reilly Studios

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