A GROUP of young dancers, including a number from Devizes, are preparing for a performance of a lifetime when they will take part in a professional show.

The 12 are in rehearsals for a double bill featuring the Nutcracker Suite and Ballet Études which will be presented by English Youth Ballet at the Salisbury City Hall from April 21 to 22.

English Youth Ballet held an audition for the ballet at the Salisbury City Hall in November and more than150 young hopeful dancers turned up. Director and founder of the company Janet Lewis was on the lookout for the best of the best. She said: "English Youth Ballet is all about providing extra performance experience to young dancers.

"We saw a very pleasing standard at the audition and it was lovely to see lots of enthusiasm.”

Among those chosen to take part were Lottie Bark-Churchill, 11, Marie Dunford, ten, and Jasmine Holden, ten, Polly Pearce, ten, Eryn Russell, 13, and Caitlin Stevens, nine, from Devizes School of Dance and Anna Zammit, 14, from Devizes and Annabel Wareham, 11, from Bulkington who are pupils at Charlotte's School of Dance, Devizes.

Another young dancer Liberty Bolt, nine, from the Morphew School of Dance, in Trowbridge, said: "I started dancing when I was three years old. I think I started because I saw all the other girls dancing and some of my friends danced.

"My favourite kind of dance is ballet. I am really excited about dancing with English Youth Ballet and getting to perform on stage in front of loads of people. In the future I want to be a professional ballet dancer and perform on stage.”

The lucky dozen is completed by Millie Pass from Morphew School of Dance and Eloise Costain and Rebecca Johnson, from Fitzgraham Academy of Dance, Chippenham.

The Rehearsals

Rehearsals for the ballet are taking place at Bishop Wordsworth School, Salisbury with principal dancer Oliver Speers who previously danced with the Royal Ballet Company and Ballet Capitole du Toulouse. He said: “The young dancers are treated like professional dancers during rehearsals – we work them hard but the results are fantastic.

"They learn what the life of a professional dancer is like. They are living their dream and they just love it.” The young cast will rehearse for just 10 days for the production.

Company manager Ben Garner said: "At the end of each rehearsal day the whole cast comes together in the largest space to share what has been learnt that day. The young dancers see the two ballets in the production taking shape like a big jigsaw."

Tickets from cityhallsalisbury.co.uk