Nine local dancers chosen to be part of English Youth Ballet production

Nine young dancers from the North East are celebrating an incredible achievement, as they were chosen to be a part of the award-winning English Youth Ballet’s (EYB) production of Coppélia.

The dancers were selected in competitive competitions that took place at the Sunderland Empire - where the show itself will also perform, and now, the eight from South Shields are part of an 80-strong cast, currently experiencing the life of a professional in rehearsals.

The dancers chosen hail from local areas including South Shields, Hebburn, Whitley Bay and North Shields, and all attend dance schools in the North East.

Amber Blu Bell and Esme Bell from Kathleen Burdon School of Ballet, Imogen Cross,  Niamh Mcmanus and Anastasia O’Donell from Jade Harrison School of Dance, Lily-Mae Foreman and Grace Gibson from N U Dance Performance & Fitness, Maddison Gibson from En Pointe Dance Academy, and Niamh Simpson from Lauren Anderson Academy of Dance - are all of the local dancers chosen to star in the professional production by EYB.

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15-year-old Amber Blu Bell said: “I started when I was 3 years old, because I wanted to learn to dance. I love the feeling of excitement while performing on stage and feeling happy doing something you love.

“At EYB I’m hoping to get experience performing with professional dancers in a classical ballet to a live audience and improve my dancing skills. I’ve always loved ballet and want to pursue it as a career.”

Director of EYB, Janet Lewis OBE said: “English Youth Ballet’s aim is to provide performance experience to aspiring young dancers in beautiful venues close to where they live. The young dancers get to experience what life is like in a professional ballet company.

“They learn about developing their artistic and performance skills as well as improving their technique. I am always amazed at how quickly the young dancers progress and how positive they are when presented with new challenges.”

EYB’s production of Coppélia will be at the Sunderland Empire from Friday, September 1 until Saturday, September 2 and will consist of three performances. Tickets can be purchased from the ATG Sunderland website.