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Well for 100 local girls and boys, their dreams are about to become a reality!

After a tough audition for their place with the English Youth Ballet, the cast are in rehearsals for their performance of Coppelia which will take place at The Grove in Dunstable on the 21st and 22nd August.听

The English Youth Ballet was founded in 1998, and brings the opportunity to young dancers outside of London aged 8-18 to perform within a professional setting.

Professional dancers take the lead roles as well as passing on their valuable experience to the young company. The dancers involved in this production of Coppelia are Julianne Rice-Oxley, Emma Lister, Alex Newton, Kasper Cornish, Trevor Wood and Matthew Powell.听 Behind the scenes Dominic Marshall puts the children through their paces in a very calm and supportive manner.

General Manager Bridget Hearne, and founder and Director Janet Lewis run the proceedings like a very well oiled machine, the dancers start on time, know exactly where they are going, and already on just day three of rehearsals have the ballet marked and are dancing with great enthusiasm.听

I spoke to Janet Lewis.

So how important do you think it is bringing ballet out to the regions like this?

I think it is desperately important.听 So much happens in London, it is good to have something local, in their local theatre where they don鈥檛 have to travel.

At the auditions hundreds of little girls and boys turn up, how do you choose which ones get through?

We look perhaps for the way they are focused towards it. There is a certain co-ordination about them that is important as well, and showing how they conduct themselves.

You are doing Coppelia at the Grove. You were at The Grove a couple of years ago were you well received there?

Fantastic yes, because it was a new theatre in the area, and of course what we do is bring the local community in, all the friends and family of the cast, and the general public. That is very good for the theatre locally.

You recently were honoured with an MBE how did that make you feel?

I was absolutely thrilled. It was quite unexpected after a long career in the ballet as a dancer, producer and director. It was fantastic to be rewarded and recognised for the kind of hard work I have put in over the years. I was very pleased indeed, it was a wonderful day.

Matthew Powell is dancing the role of Franz.

They say you should never work with animals or children and you are surrounded by 100 young people all day every day. How is that?

It鈥檚 fine. Doing the EYB experience for the children thankfully it is a bit of a partisan crowd. They may be children but they want to be here so it is always a joy to teach them and thankfully they do listen.

Matthew Powell and Alex Newton

Films like Billy Elliott and the recent success of Diversity on Britain鈥檚 Got Talent have brought male dancers into the spotlight. Is it becoming easier for boys or as hard as it ever was?

It is a very good question. I think it has always been slightly easier for male dancers as there are less of them. Groups like Diversity with Street dancing and that kind of style has given dancing itself a bit more credibility among males in general.听 My life wasn鈥檛 like Billy Elliott, my parents were very supportive.听 As far as jobs go, being a man you can鈥檛 want for anything better than being surrounded by lovely ladies. You can鈥檛 complain can you on a professional side.

So when you were growing up which dancers did you aspire to? Did you watch all the dance films?

Fred Astaire films and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and West Side Story! I didn鈥檛 realise how actually talented those dancers were in that particular film. When I was young I just wanted to do all those tricks, and I would scare my parents as I would leap off various bits of furniture trying to copy Astaire!

Are there any particular dancers out there at the moment that you really admire?

There are so many. Carlos Acosta is a man I have tremendous respect for. He works so hard and I met him recently and he is an incredibly nice man, so that is someone to look up to.

There are some fantastic boys in the cast. What advice would you give them in order to follow their dreams?

I think just keep going. It is such a shame when boys are bullied because they dance. When boys say they do ballet unfortunately there is still a stigma. For any boys just keep at it! Follow your dream!

I spoke to some of the young local dancers, Harry 15, Megan 13 and Emily 12.

Harry. How important do you think the EYB is for young dancers?

It is important if you are going to enter into ballet as a career. It gives you an insight into what a normal day would be like in a company. Some of my friends keep saying I am lucky to be with all these girls! My ultimate dream is to join the Royal Ballet and dance any part with lots of jumps.

Megan. Would you like to be a ballerina in the future?

Yes. That is my dream. That is my ambition.听 The teachers at EYB help you a lot and we look up to them here. Alex is my favourite teacher. Hopefully at sixteen I will go to Central School of Ballet for full time training. I would like to be in Swan Lake in the future. It is my favourite ballet.

Kesi Dorey, playing the Coppelia Doll

Emily. Is the EYB a good experience?

I think it is really good. Getting ready for a career, and all the people are really supportive. Pointe is the hardest bit. It really hurts your feet! I want to go to dance college when I am older. I want to do ballet and modern.听 My sister is also in this production.. All my family are really excited.听 When I am on stage it is fun, but backstage it is nerve wrecking!

Coppelia will be at The Grove Theatre in Dunstable on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August 2009 .