A SCHOOLGIRL ballet dancer from Chester has joined the cast of Cinderella in Hollywood.

Nine year-old Zara Ates from Newton will join the 100-strong cast in performing at the Manchester Opera House.

In January Zara was chosen to be part of the English Youth Ballet’s (EYB’s) glamorous and innovative production after a hugely competitive audition. 

The young cast are currently experiencing the life of a professional dancer in rehearsals. 

They will perform alongside international professional dancers on stage from Friday, March 8 to Saturday, March 9.

Set in the glamorous era of 1950s Hollywood movies, this lavish production draws its inspiration from the film star Grace Kelly who met Prince Rainier of Monaco at a press party and later married him.

Cinderella is a seamstress on a film set and the Fairy Godmother is her late mother - a former movie star of the 1930s. Her wicked sisters are Hollywood starlets competing with each other for starring film roles. The Prince meets Cinderella at the press party but at midnight she flees from the scene leaving a sparkly silver pointe-shoe as the only clue to her identity.

English Youth Ballet is an award-winning national dance company English founded in 1998 to provide professional performance experience for talented young dancers.

It previously won The Stage Award – for special achievement in regional theatre. EYB has built a national reputation for the quality of both its full length classical ballets and mixed bill programmes. The opportunity to watch English Youth Ballet (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 their ballets are performed with the scale and grandeur which was originally intended.

The company is made up of eight professional principals and 100 selected dancers (aged eight to 18) from the local area. 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.

For tickets, visit: www.atgtickets.com/opera-house-manchester