FOUR students at a Lydney ballet school have won places on a prestigious course for talented young dancers.

Naomi Berry, Briony de Witt, Milly Connor and Trinity Maguire-Toombs, who attend the Allsteps Dance Academy, have all successfully auditioned to become Checchetti associates.

Milly has also been selected to take part in the National Youth Ballet's summer school which will also includes performances at two theatres.

Lisa Rafferty, who runs Allsteps, said: "The Checchetti associates course is very prestigious and means that once a month they work with professionals at Ballet Cymru.

"It covers many dance styles and there is also the opportunity to work with other teachers.

"Associates have to audition for a place every year."

Trinity said: "It is a very good experience to be able to work with other people."

Milly was selected for the National Youth Ballet after passing two auditions.

She will take part in the summer school at the Tring School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire where the dancers are given the opportunity to participate in the creation, production and performance of ballet at a professional level.

They will create a number of pieces that will be performed at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, Kent and a gala performance at a venue to be confirmed.

There are some 170 students at Allsteps learning a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap and modern.

The school has a number of former students who have gone on to specialist ballet schools and become professional dancers.

Among them are Rebecca Haw of Chepstow who is now first artist with the Romanian National Ballet and her brother Gareth who is in his last term at the Royal Ballet School and has secured a contract with Dresden Ballet in Germany.