Ballet dancer 'excited' to return home for Bristol Hippodrome show

The ballet company recently rehearsed at Bristol Cathedral

A ballet dancer says she is "really excited" to perform in her home city.

Ava May Llewellyn, 21, from Downend on the outskirts of Bristol, will feature in the Birmingham Royal Ballet Company production of The Sleeping Beauty.

"Ever since I began my professional career, I always knew I wanted to go back to Bristol to perform," Ms Llewellyn said.

The touring ballet show, choreographed by Sir Peter Wright, opens at the Bristol Hippodrome on Thursday.

Ms Llewellyn, who began dancing when she was two years old, performed on the Bristol Hippodrome stage in pantomimes throughout her childhood.

Ava May Llewellyn said she was "excited" to return to Bristol

When she was 10 years old, she was accepted into The Royal Ballet School in London, where she trained and later worked as an apprentice.

In 2023, she was offered a permanent artist contract with the Birmingham Royal Ballet Company and has performed in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Black Sabbath.

"I love performing. Being on stage is my favourite part of the job, obviously it can be hard and tiring, but it's the best part for me," she said.

Michelle Llewellyn, Ava May's mother, says her daughter wanted to be a dancer since she was three years old

Ms Llewellyn's mother Michelle said her daughter wanted to be a dancer from three years old after seeing Starlight Express at the Bristol Hippodrome.

"Since then, all she's ever wanted to consider as a career is to be a dancer," Mrs Llewellyn said.

However, it did not come without difficult financial decisions that were a "huge sacrifice as a family" while supporting Ms Llewellyn in London.

"We didn't ever want Ava to say 'I could have been', now she can say 'I'm doing it'," Mrs Llewellyn added.

The Sleeping Beauty production started touring the UK earlier this year, with Ms Llewellyn as a member of the ensemble.

The Birmingham Royal Ballet Company is touring the UK with The Sleeping Beauty

Choreographer Sir Peter said: "I find it hard to believe that this tour marks the 40th anniversary of The Sleeping Beauty.

"This has always been the most opulent of ballets, but Philip Prowse's incredible design created a unique fairy tale world (with almost 30 fairy character tutus alone) that allows dancers to really inhabit some of classical ballet's most famous roles."

Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta, said he was "thrilled" to be reviving the production and "welcoming people of all ages" to the show.

Sleeping Beauty will be at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday.