More than 300 Blackpool primary school pupils get the chance to join project by Royal Ballet School

A total of 332 youngsters from Anchorsholme Academy, Bispham Endowed C of E Primary School, Boundary Primary School, Layton Primary School and Revoe Learning Academy will get the chance to be budding Billy Elliots and Darcey Bussells.

The Royal Ballet School is partnering The Lowry (Manchester) to deliver the innovative programme, which will see the Year 3 pupils spending five weeks working closely with Royal Ballet School teachers, discovering ballet through a series of creative dance workshops.

The scheme has been praised by Emma Geeson, a Year 3 teacher at Revoe Learning Academy on Grasmere Road, who said: “We’ve been involved in this for the last few years and it’s brilliant at giving a pupils a chance to experience dance when they might not otherwise get the opportunity.

"Pupils who who show ability are able to take things further and enjoy a kind of scholarship with free classes at Blackpool Sixth Colleges, which really encourages natural talent.

"And it also helps teachers in Year 3, like myself, giving us the skills to teach dance.”

With this Primary Steps programme, the Royal Ballet is able to give more than 2,000 young people throughout England and Wales the opportunity to take part in dance classes they may not otherwise have.

At the end of the initial five-week course, 28 pupils from each area who show ability will be invited to further their new-found knowledge and skills by joining weekly Primary Steps classes for up to four years.

The young people taking part will receive their training from teachers specially approved by The Royal Ballet School.

After the four years, the aspiring young dancers will be advised on how best to continue their dance training and some may be invited to audition for The Royal Ballet School’s highly regarded Junior Associate programme.

The Royal Ballet School’s Primary Steps Programme is funded by the Department for Education in England and the Hodge Foundation in Wales and aims to make a significant contribution to dance opportunities in the areas where the programme operates.

The project aims to bring ballet into the consciousness of children and their families, giving them a unique opportunity to benefit from the rich heritage and expertise of one of the world’s great ballet schools. They are introduced to the world of dance creation and performance and become connected to local dance infrastructure, opening up possibilities for future involvement in the arts.