BALLET fans will be delighted to learn the English Youth Ballet company will be performing at the Wycombe Swan in August with their critically-acclaimed show, Sleeping Beauty.

Running for two nights only on Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10, the production will star six international principal dancers and showcase the talents of 95 young dancers from the local area.

English Youth Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty promises 'tradition alongside innovation'.

The ballet’s essence is good gloriously triumphant over evil. Act 1 at Aurora’s Christening, the relatives present gifts to the baby, but it is interrupted by wicked Aunt Carabosse who places a curse upon Aurora. To reverse the curse the good Aunt Lilac places Aurora, her family and guests in the palace gardens in a cryogenic frozen state to sleep for one hundred years. The Cryonite Fairies protect her until she is awakened by her Prince. Upon his kiss, the curse is lifted and Carabosse is defeated.

The cast were selected in a big audition on stage at The Wycombe Swan in March. More than 150 young dancers attended for the exciting opportunity. They took part in a full ballet class on the stage. The successful auditionees found out they had been selected on the day of the audition.

The young cast will be rehearsing for 60 hours over 10 days of rehearsals at weekends. The rehearsals take place at a local high school. At rehearsals, the dancers experience the working life of a professional dancer.

Janet Lewis OBE, director of English Youth Ballet, said: "Our 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, Northern Ballet and KBallet.

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.

Tickets can be bought at the on 0343 310 0060 and at www.wycombeswan.co.uk