A group of talented ballerinas have been chosen to appear in a professional production of The Nutcracker.

The 13 girls and two boys from Macclesfield are among 91 successful hopefuls who auditioned to perform with the English Youth Ballet (EYB) at the Buxton Opera House.

Eight-year-old Evie Hogden, who goes to Whirley Primary School, is the youngest Macclesfield dancer and will play a doll and sweet.

And the eldest is Samuel Ashall, 17, who lives in Prestbury and will play Father and jig dancer.

Also from Prestbury are Harriet Jones, nine, who will play a child and Chinese dancer, Eleri Macleod, 14, who will play Clara, and Niamh Tooher, 12, who will perform as a Snow Queen attendant.

Sisters Anna and Isabella Wadsworth, also from Prestbury, have also been given parts, with 12-year-old Anna playing a mouse and reed pipe, and Isabella, 10, playing a snowflake.

Lydia Roberts, 13, who is from Sutton and goes to Fallibroome Academy, will play a soldier and Russian dancer.

Fellow Fallibroome students Olivia Jowle, Eleri Macleod, and Kora-Bea Massey will appear alongside her. Kora-Bea, 11, will play a mouse and a reed pipe, Eleri, 14, will play Clara, and 13-year-old Olivia will play Mother and an Arabian dancer.

Louis Dipple-Johnstone and Eva Germaney, who are both nine, will both play the part of a child and Chinese dancer.

All the youngsters study at Handforth and Prestbury School of Dance apart from 13-year-olds Hannah Elvy and Laura Goodwin, who both study at Rawle School of Dance.

Hannah, who goes to All Hallows Catholic College, will play Lead Snowflake, and Laura, who goest to Fallibroome, will play a soldier and Russian dancer.

A further nine dancers, who also study at Handforth and Prestbury School and Dance and live in Wilmslow, were also chosen.

Ten-year-olds Sarah Brooks, Jessica Dixon and Sophie Turner, who will all play the part of snowflakes.

Julia Cusworth, 12, who goes to Wilmslow High School, will play a Mouse and reed pipe, and Rachel McCann, 15, who is from Handforth, will play a Sugar Plum attendant.

Sisters Susannah and Sophie Phythian will both appear in the performances, with 17-year-old Sophie playing a Sugar Flower and Susannah, 14, playing a Sugar Plum Attendant.

Sophie said dancing runs in her blood with her mum and grandma both dancers. She said: “I think it was my mother’s influence because she wanted me to start.

“My mum and my grandma used to dance when they were younger. I think working with English Youth Ballet is a great experience.

“It is good to work with the professional dancers and to be in a real ballet.

“In the future I would like to dance in the West End and on cruise ships.”

Eight-year-old Charlotte Stanley, who goes to Alderley Edge School for Girls, and Lucia Holt, nine, who is a student at Mottram St Andrew Primary School, will both play a doll and sweet.

All the dancers are now busily rehearsing for the performances on November 13 and 14.

Janet Lewis MBE, director and founder of EYB, said: “EYB is all about providing extra performance experience to young dancers.

“We saw a very pleasing standard at the audition today and it was lovely to see lots of enthusiasm.”

Tickets can be bought from the Box Office on 01298 72190 or online at buxtonoperahouse.org.uk.

Back row: Rachel McCann, Susannah Phythian, Julia Cusworth, Sophie Phythian Front row: Jessica Dixon, Sarah Brooks, Charlotte Stanley, Sophie Turner, Eva Ellis, Lucia Holt