Youngster training for Edinburgh | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

At just 13-years-old, Serena Jensen has been chosen to represent New Zealand.

The highland dancer will form part of a 45-strong group of dancers to perform at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland next August.

Jensen, who lives in Bryndwr, is one of the youngest girls selected.

She said she began dancing when she was six because she enjoyed Riverdance and liked the different styles of dancing available.

"I was really shy before I started dancing but I've met a lot of friends," she said.

Although it will be her first time overseas, Jensen is confident the 217,000-strong crowd won't faze her.

"It's not scary but if I made a mistake it would be," she said.

Jensen has already had considerable success as a dancer, having won championship dances throughout the South Island and has been asked to dance at weddings and the Christchurch Primary Schools' Cultural Festival.

She plans to start training for around an hour a day during the summer and attend class at her dance club, the Caledonian Society.

Jensen will travel to Edinburgh in July where the team, who will stay in the barracks of Edinburgh Castle, will train together before their performance.

The tattoo is an annual event celebrating more than 50 years of music and spectacle.

The three-week event features performers from more than 30 countries.

To fundraise for Jensen's trip, the family are holding an open Christmas home during the week at 163 Condell Ave, from 5-9pm.

The open home will include a sausage sizzle, sales tables, crafts, gifts, raffles and Santa's wishing well. A gold coin donation will be accepted at the gate.