In some cases peaking too early is a bad thing, but not for Megan Gerber. At only 16 she is the youngest ballet dancer to join the Joburg Ballet, the country's largest and most prestigious professional ballet company.Gerber was hired by the company last week and will perform in the company's Studio Soirees, which will include pas de deux routines and classical dances from Spartacus and the Walpurgisnach.But the opportunity is not without its challenges. The Grade 11 home-schooled pupil said while she might be living her dream, it means shopping with friends or movie dates have fallen off her list of priorities.Joburg Ballet artistic director Iain MacDonald described her as a "rare gem", with the right combination of natural talent and the work ethic it takes to be a professional ballet dancer."To join a ballet company at 16 you have to have something special. It's also a huge accolade for her and it shows other young dancers that if you work hard enough it's possible," said MacDonald.Speaking to The Times between rehearsals, Gerber exudes the confidence and grace of a prima ballerina, without the diva tendencies portrayed in films.But being a working girl at 16 means her day starts at 9am and ends at 6pm. When she gets home, she faces maths and literature - problems that her fellow dancers have erased from their memories.Joking about how bunions are a permanent feature on her feet, Gerber said being a professional ballet dancer was all she'd ever wanted to do."I used to look up to professional dancers when I was younger and now people will be looking up to me. It still feels unreal; I get paid to do what I love," she said.MacDonald said the dynamic of having employed a dancer as young as Gerber has challenged the rest of the company to not get complacent and to work even harder for dance roles.Before being offered the contract, Gerber performed alongside principal dancers in productions such as Cinderella, Swan Lake and Don Quixote, which MacDonald described as a "test" to see how she handled the pressure...