A WINCHESTER-based dance company has led young dancers to be nominated to perform for the English Youth Ballet.

Eleven of its best young dancers will appear in Swan Lake at the Kings Theatre in Southsea between October 18-19 alongside dancers from the EYB.

The Florian Dance School has trained ten of the 11 dancers, aged between nine and 17.

Principal ballerina, Julianne Rice Oxley said: “The young dancers we are working with in Southsea have great energy and attack. Working in a professional environment gives the students a unique insight into life in a ballet company. “I feel very privileged to be a principal with EYB as I get to work with some of the UK’s most talented young dancers. I find them incredibly inspiring!”

The eldest dancer, Simona Sassone, who studies at Peter Symonds College, started dancing when she was just three but said Swan Lake is more mature and dramatic than the performances she’s used to.

She said: “I think it is very exciting and very different to anything else I have done. The part I got in the ballet was the one that I really wanted. I am applying to dance schools this year after finishing my A-levels. So hopefully if I go to college I want to build up my skills and go for a choreographic career.”

Principal of the Florian Dance School teacher, Annette FitzGerald, said: “It’s a huge achievement over a wide range of ages. It’s good that we’ve got so much young talent. In addition, EYB were offering three scholarships and two out of three of them have been awarded to Florian dancers.

“We are going to hire a minibus and I’ve bought about 20 tickets so it will be a real family affair. Most of them started at the age of three. They’re all super keen and a great group of children.”