A TRIO of talented young dancers from Wiltshire know they are each one in 100, after they each beat those odds to win a place in the chorus for the English Youth Ballet's production of Sleeping Beauty next month.

Luke and Isabella are both 14 and go to St Laurence School in their home town of Bradford on Avon and study dance at the Dorothy Coleborn School in Bath, while Tatum, eight, who lives in Seend Cleeve, is a pupil at Seend Primary School and studies dance at Central Stage Academy of Dance in Devizes.

Director and founder of EYB Janet Lewis MBE was on the lookout for the hottest young dance talent to join her award-winning company at July's auditions, saying: “EYB is all about providing extra performance experience to young dancers. We saw a very pleasing standard at the audition 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 are currently taking place at Oxford Academy, taken by Julianne Rice-Oxley, EYB’s ballet mistress, who danced with English National Ballet and Lisbon National Ballet. She said: "The young dancers are treated like professional dancers during rehearsals – we work them hard but the results are fantastic. They learn what the life of a professional dancer is like. They are living their dream and they just love it.”

At the end of each rehearsal the whole cast comes together in the largest space to share what has been learnt that day, so the young dancers see the production taking shape like a big jigsaw.

EYB Principal dancer Amy Drew will be dancing the leading role of Aurora and is also training the young cast in rehearsals. She previously danced with the Tasmanian Ballet Company and Ballet Ireland. Amy said: "Rehearsals for Beauty are going very well. I enjoy getting to know the young dancers. It is wonderful having such talented young people all in the same place and working together. I think that there is a unique and wonderful synergy that takes place because all the dancers learn so much from watching each other and from watching the professionals too. Our production of Beauty has gorgeous costumes and sets - the young dancers are really excited about the costumes."

The Sleeping Beauty will be presented by English Youth Ballet at the New Theatre, Oxford from October 7-8. Tickets from 0844 871 3020 or www.atgtickets.com/oxford