Chippenham dance teacher Samantha Reed was delighted to see her pupils perform with the Regional Youth Ballet this month.

On December 14 and 15 seven pupils at the Dancing Academy performed in Les Sylphides at the Dolman Theatre, in Newport.

They auditioned for parts with the ballet in October and went through intensive training.

Since November 10 the girls worked six hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays to perfect their routines.

Senior dancer Olive Davies and six juniors were included in a cast of 40 girls, who gave a full performance with a corps de ballet.

The juniors included Charlotte Andrews, Darcie Burner-Joyce, Holly Gould, Aimee Larkins, Georgia Smith and Kirsty Wang.

After the final performance four girls also won awards, including an award for the hardest work, best junior dancer and best special step by a dancer.

Mrs Reed, who has run the academy for five years, said some of the youngest girls in the group were eight and nine.

She said: “I’ve had a couple of girls who have gone for senior auditions at the English Ballet, but not so many little ones which was quite exciting.

“It was the first thing I had put them forward for and we never expected all of them would get picked. I had a couple of girls doing little duets – that was a real privilege with such a huge cast.

“I’m absolutely thrilled, these children work so hard- some of them are at the dance school four or five times a week.”