A YOUNG Salisbury dancer will be pulling on her ballet shoes to perform her dream role of the Duchess in the English Youth Ballet’s production of Giselle at the weekend.

Kate Hoggard, 14, a pupil at South Wilts Grammar School, auditioned for the performance in March this year and was thrilled to find she was one of the hundred dancers picked to take part.

“She’s very excited,” said her mum Mandy. “She has been dancing since she was three with the Salisbury Dance Studios and was chosen from hundreds of girls in the audition earlier in the year.

“She did it once before when she was eight when she did Sleeping Beauty, and now it has come up again.

“They don’t hold it very near this area, this is about the closest it gets to Salisbury and she’s the only one from here going.

“She’s absolutely chuffed to bits and we are looking forward to seeing it on Friday and Saturday.”

Since September, Kate has been travelling to Portsmouth every weekend to train for the performances, which will take place at Kings Theatre in Southsea tomorrow and on Saturday.

She will dance alongside professional ballerinas, who have been working with the youngsters to choreograph and rehearse the production under the direction of assistant artistic director Dominic Marshall.