This article was originally published in Deseret News by Maddie Swensen. Below is an excerpt.
Sixteen-year-old ballerina Gisele Bethea of Mesa, Arizona, has received numerous awards, traveled the world to perform and been asked to join the American Ballet Theatre.
But her talent is not the only thing that sets Bethea apart in the world of ballet. She belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she is fearless about sharing her beliefs.
“She’s never been afraid to share or to tell people that she loves Heavenly Father,” said Bethea’s mother, Heidi Bethea. “She is always sharing things like that with her friends, even when she was really small.”
Gisele Bethea was about 4 years old when she started dancing around the house. Her mother noticed and took her to a local dance studio where Bethea began taking recreational dance classes.
Around the time Bethea turned 8 years old, her dance teacher recognized her talent as a ballerina and suggested her parents send her to Russia to train with some of the best ballet teachers in the world.
That wasn’t really an option for the Bethea family, but the young ballerina did begin training with her teacher. When she turned 12, Bethea entered the Master Ballet Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has been there ever since.
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