COPPELIA comes to The Beck Theatre, Hayes in a colourful production by English Youth Ballet on Sunday, February 26 with performances at 2.30 and 7pm.

English Youth Ballet is one of the UK’s largest companies and is made up of six professional principals and 54 selected dancers (aged 8-18) from the immediate area.

They include Emi Garcia, 11, from South Ealing, Emma Pribyl, 16, from Ealing, and Alexandra Sutherland, 14, of Greenford.

Emi attends the Innovation Dance School, while Emma, a pupil at Elthorne Park High School, is with the Rambert School and Alexandra, from Twyford School, is with the Greenford School of Dance.

Emma said: “I started dancing at Joyce Butler School of Dance at the age of three. I was always very energetic. Dance was something both of my sisters did and I looked up to them very much and still do!

“The best feelings are being able to escape from reality and expressing yourself through movement. I love how dancing makes you forget about all of your problems.

“Before dancing took up my whole timetable, I used to be part of pretty much every sporting team,

The cast of Coppélia will have rehearsed for 60 hours at Hewens College, Hayes End, for the production and there will be a team of more than 20 chaperones to look after the young performers

Box office: 0343 310 0044 www.becktheatre.org.uk