Eden Gade, a former Butler resident, is pursuing her dream of ballet dancing. She is with the Orlando Ballet in Florida.

Nineteen-year-old Eden Gade, a former Butler School District student, is living out her dream of being a ballet dancer.

Last summer, Gade was invited to become a trainee with the Orlando Ballet in Florida.

Dancers in the trainee division are selected from among top level students by the Orlando Ballet artistic director, Robert Hill. When additional dancers are needed to supplement the professional corps de ballet for the Orlando Ballet, they are chosen from the trainee division.

Gade just finished the company’s performance of “Hansel and Gretel,” in which she danced in the Good Fairy selection.

She also appeared in the Orlando Ballet’s season kick off, “Vampires Ball” in October.

Gade began her dance education at age 4 at Lee’s School of Dance in Butler. She was part of two award winning competition groups and also won awards for her solo lyrical numbers. She also placed in the discipline of ballet in each age division for the Cecchetti Council of Pennsylvania and won scholarships for the study of ballet.

Summer ballet intensives she attended include those with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theater, School of American Ballet in New York, Boston Ballet and Miami City Ballet.

She was offered a scholarship to attend the Boston Ballet’s year-round pre-professional ballet program, so at age 16, Gade moved to Boston to study with the Boston Ballet School for three years.

Gade had attended Butler High School through 10th grade but then, by virtue of being in Boston, finished her high school curriculum through Pennsylvania cyber school, graduating in 2011 with honors.

Each year in Boston, she performed in both the Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and the “Next Generation Spring Showcase.”

Now in Orlando, she is in rehearsals for the Orlando Ballet’s performance of the “The Nutcracker” going on in December and hopes to be selected to supplement the corps de ballet in the spring performances of “Hollywood en Pointe” and “Carmina Burana.”

She is the daughter of Tom and Barb Gade of Butler Township.