Local ballerina Eleisha Wedge will be training at the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet's summer program this June if she can raise the funds. The 13-year-old made the trek to Seattle to audition for the Washington, D.C.-based program in January.

Costs of the international program run upwards of $5,000, and Wedge and her family are trying to raise the amount through her Web site, www.eleishawedgeballet.com/.

She is currently studying at the Goh Ballet Academy, where she dances 7 days a week, and will be participating in its summer intensive in addition to the Kirov program.

The Kirov Academy of Ballet was founded in 1990. Graduates of the academy have joined major ballet companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens and The Royal Ballet.