TALENTED dancers from the Bradford district have been chosen to be part of the 80-strong cast of English Youth Ballet’s (EYB) production of Swan Lake.

The young cast was selected following hugely competitive auditions and those chosen are currently experiencing the life of a professional dancer in rehearsals.

The dancers are Indie-Lou Cyprien, Faith Delahunty, Lucy Wharton, Grace Kettlewell, Emily Wharton, Olivia Padgett, Abigail Dargue, Alice Cordingley, Lily Longbottom, Jia-Chen Lei, Sasha Wilkinson; Isla Town; Bethany Loftus; Lucy Miller and Willow Crowther.

Nine-year-old Alice, a pupil at Wilsden Primary School, said: “I started dancing when I was 18 months at baby ballet but then joined Spotlight Stage School at three.

“I joined because I couldn’t stop moving and danced to any song that came on. It’s been part of my whole life. I do all kinds of dancing - but ballet is my favourite.

“The best thing about dancing is that you can express your emotions through dance. Dance makes me feel calm and happy.

“At EYB, I want to learn from all the other girls and professional dancers. I hope I get more techniques like the pirouette. I’m really excited to get the chance to perform on a professional stage.

“People think dancing is just twirling around but it’s much more technical, especially ballet.

“Dancing is a big part of my life but I also love drama and playing the piano.”

Emily Wharton, 18, who attends Beckfoot School, added: “I love the feeling of freedom that I get when I dance. Whenever I've had a bad day I always forget all about it at dance class and I instantly feel better.

“I am hoping to improve my ballet technique whilst learning from the teachers and professional dancers at EYB. I am also hoping to make lots of new friends and also enjoy share the stage again with my sister.

“As I am hoping to go to university in September, I have limited performances left so I applied for EYB as it's another amazing opportunity to dance on stage.”

She added: “I enjoy helping with the younger classes at my dance school the most and was given the role of dance captain in 2021. In September, I am hoping to go to university to study primary early years education to then become a primary school teacher and I will continue dancing competitively whilst I am there (including in ballet) as competitions are such a big part of my life.”

The group will perform alongside international professional dancers in EYB's Swan Lake at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax, from Friday, June 7 to Saturday, June 8.