AN OVERTON schoolgirl has landed a role in a ballet production, beating hundreds of other young hopefuls.

Imogen Strong was selected to play the role of a songbird and Cinderella’s attendant in The Sleeping Beauty, which will be presented by English Youth Ballet (EYB) at The Kings Theatre, in Portsmouth next month.

The eight-year-old auditioned for the role last November, competing against 200 young dancers, and was delighted to be given a part.

The show, which runs on March 6 and 7, will star international dancers, with support from 111 performers aged eight to 18 from Hampshire and the surrounding areas.

Imogen, who is a member of North Hampshire Academy of Dance and English National Ballet School Juniors, found out at the end of the audition day that she had been accepted, after Janet Lewis, director and founder of EYB, selected the best young dance talent to join her award-winning company for the production.

Miss Lewis said: “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.”

Imogen’s mother, Cari Strong, said: “She started dancing with North Hampshire Academy of Dancing when she was three. Ballet has always been her passion.”

She added: “She’s so excited. She loves to be on stage and dance.”

Imogen, a pupil at St Gabriel’s School, in Newbury, spent 10 days rehearsing for the show, in Portsmouth.

Brenden Bratulic, one of EYB’s principal dancers, who will play the role of Prince Alexander in The Sleeping Beauty, 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.”

Amy Drew, another principal dancer with EYB who will dance the lead role of Aurora, trained the young cast during rehearsals.

She said: “It’s 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 the professionals too. Our production of The Sleeping Beauty is such a lavish, big ballet.”

Cari, who also has a three-year-old daughter, will act as a chaperone during the show, and has tickets to watch her daughter on the opening night.