A TALENTED young dancer is set to light up the stage in a production of The Nutcracker this weekend.

Cheyenne Cordova, of Priory Vale, will appear at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury alongside professionals and about 100 other children.

The 11-year-old Isambard Community School pupil won her place after a gruelling English Youth Ballet audition against hundreds of other hopefuls.

Cheyenne, who attends the Jenny Sullivan School of Dance, said: “The auditions were really hard, they told us to do lots of steps.

“Rehearsing has been really fun and I have made lots of friends.”

Cheyenne, who has danced since she was three, said she is excited to get on stage but gets nervous before each performance.

“I just talk to everyone and we’re all nervous together, we all feel the same,” she said.

The aspiring dancer will appear as a snowflake in three performances over the weekend, and 14 of her friends and family will be travelling to Aylesbury to watch her.

Cheyenne’s mother, Tina Mottram, said: “She loves to dance and can’t get enough of it. It’s so rewarding to see what she gets out of it.

“When she found out she was going to be in the show you could just see she was gleaming. We’re very proud of her.”

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and is one of the most popular ballets in the world.

It centres around a prince who is turned into a nutcracker after a battle with a mouse king.

More than 100 youngsters from across the country will be performing in the production, which is the company’s 12th since it was set up.

For tickets to see The Nutcracker in Aylesbury phone the box office on 08448 717607.