TWO talented young dancers from the Newtown area are having an amazing time rehearsing with English Youth Ballet for three performances of a new production entitled “Cinderella in Hollywood” t be staged at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn later this month.

Emma Correll, aged 14, and Rose Foskett, aged eight, will be appearing in the new ballet at 7.30pm on Friday, June 22, and at 2,30 and 7.30pm on Saturday, June 23.

Emma and Rose will be 83 of the finest dancers aged from eight to 18 from Shropshire and surrounding areas who are joining international principal dancers Samantha Camejo, Monica Tapiador, Clair Corruble, Philip Tunstall, Julianne Rice-Oxley, Oliver Speers, Steven Wheeler and Brenden Bratulic on stage.

Emma attends Llanfyllin High School and the Elegance Dance School, while Rose is a pupil at Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd and of Jane Jones Dance.

“I was about three years old when I started dancing. I used to dance all over the house so my mum (Susan) thought it would be a good idea to take me to ballet. I can’t wait to perform in front of a big audience.

"I have danced with EYB before in Swan Lake and I loved doing it. I would like to do something to do with performing in the future,” said Emma.

Rose said: “I started dancing when I was five. I started because it was a present for my birthday. I am most looking forward to dancing with EYB because it will be fun to do the performances in front of the audience. In the future I would like to be a ballerina maybe in the Royal Ballet Company.”

English Youth Ballet held a huge audition for the ballet in March this year and the lucky dancers heard they had been accepted on the day and director Janet Lewis said: “EYB is all about providing extra performance experience to young dancers. We saw a very pleasing standard at the audition today and it was lovely to see lots of enthusiasm.”

EYB has helped many of the UK’s top talent springboard their training progress and careers into some of the world’s greatest ballet companies – including the Royal Ballet Company and English National Ballet.

Rehearsals for the ballet are taking place at Meole Brace School with Brazilian principal dancer Samantha Camejo, who will be dancing the leading role of Cinderella, training the young cast.

She previously danced with the English National Ballet and says: “The young dancers are treated just like the professionals in the rehearsals with EYB. They discover what having a dance career might be like - both in the studio and on the stage. It is an amazing experience for them.”

The young cast rehearse for just 11 days for the production. The young dancers see the production taking shape like a big jigsaw and Samantha adds: “I enjoy meeting all the talented young dancers up and down the UK. I try to mentor and inspire the young dancers and help inform them about the profession.”

Founded in 1998 to provide professional performance experience for talented young dancers, the award winning English Youth Ballet are celebrating the 20th anniversary with his glamorous and innovative new production.

Set in the glamorous era of 1950s Hollywood movies, “Cinderella in Hollywood” is a lavish production which draws its inspiration from the film star Grace Kelly who met Prince Rainier of Monaco at a press party and later married him.

Cinderella is a seamstress on a film set and the Fairy Godmother is her late mother - a former movie star of the 1930s. Her wicked sisters are Hollywood starlets competing with each other for starring film roles. The Prince meets Cinderella at the press party but at midnight she flees from the scene leaving a sparkly silver pointe-shoe as the only clue to her identity.

The choreography has been created by Janet Lewis and her team of international principal artists who coach the young dancers. The music combines Shostakovich Jazz Suites and Ballet Suites with memorable melodies from Hollywood films such as Tea for Two, Chinatown and Dancing in the Dark. The stunning new stage designs for the ballet are by Sebastian Petit.

Costume designs are by Keith Bish with approximately 260 costumes needed for the show.

The professional principal dancers have joined EYB from some of the world’s most renowned ballet companies – including the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, La Scala and Ballet de Toulouse. British principal dancers include Philip Tunstall, Julianne Rice-Oxley, Steven Wheeler & Oliver Speers. Monica Tapiodor Moreno-cid is a Spanish principal dancer, Brenden Bratulic is from Australia, Clair Corruble is from France and Samantha Camejo is from Brazil.

Tickets, priced £25 to £21, can be bought at the theatre box office on 01743 281281 or by visiting: www.theatresevern.co.uk