A superb achievement has been made by talented young dancer Ettienne Ashcroft, 9, from Long Buckby.

In June, she was chosen to be part of the 100-strong cast of English Youth Ballet’s (EYB’s) production of Giselle which will be presented at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Fri 6 – Sat 7 September 2024.Ettienne goes to West Haddon Primary School and is training at the Northamptonshire School of Dance. She was selected in a hugely competitive audition. She is currently experiencing the life of a professional dancer in rehearsals. Ettienne is super excited, as she will perform alongside international professional dancers inthe iconic production of Giselle.

There are 100 young dancers from across the Midlands in the production. The cast will have rehearsed for 60 hours over 10 days of rehearsals at weekends. The rehearsals take place at Gospel Oak School. At rehearsals, the dancers experience the working life of a professional dancer. EYB take over 3 large rehearsal spaces in the school that are used simultaneously. Rehearsals always start with 3 company classes for the dancers to warm-up. The dancers need to keep an eye on the complex rehearsal timetable throughout the day. Each rehearsal day finishes with the whole company coming together to put together and show everything they have learnt that day.

EYB Principal – Olivia Richards will be starring as Giselle in the production. She said “I was lucky to be able to dance with EYB in Cardiff when I was a young dancer. The dancers learn so much about performance skills and the artistry of ballet. I love now working as a principal dancer with EYB because I get to dance challenging and iconic roles and I also teach the young dancers and see them progress. The sets and costumes in the production are superb and the whole experience is one the young dancers (and the audiences) will never forget!”

The story of Giselle is set in the Edwardian era on an English country estate and has a DowntonAbbey flavour. The young governess - Giselle falls in love with the aristocratic Albert who betrays her. She dies of a broken heart. Giselle’s ghost chooses to protect Albert as he visits her leafy graveside. In the forest live the macabre Wili Spirits - the ghosts of other young women who rise from the grave each night. They will stop at nothing to take their revenge on the menfolk of the town who cross their paths.

EYB Director – 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 previously won The Stage Award for special achievement in regional theatre. The opportunity to watch EYB is a unique experience. Sell-out audiences are treated to beautiful international principal artists sharing the stage with the top up-and-coming young talent from the local area. EYB’s large cast ensures the ballet is performed with the scale and grandeur which was originally intended. EYB principal dancers are of the highest calibre and have joined EYB from companies such as English National Ballet, Vienna Festival Ballet, Ballet Capitole du Toulouse and K-Ballet. The young dancers are some of the top talents from the local area. There are now ex-EYB young performers in some of the world’s best companies – including the Royal Ballet.

There will be 3 performances of EYB’s acclaimed ballet – Giselle from Fri 6 – Sat 7 September at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. The haunting production will star 6 international principal dancers and showcase the talents of 100 young dancers from the local area.

Tickets can be bought at the Box Office 01902 429212 on or at www.grandtheatre.co.uk