Eight girls from the Helen Guy Dance Academy, which is based at the village hall, auditioned earlier this month for parts in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which will be staged at the Peepul Centre, in Orchardson Avenue.

The dancing octet, who are aged between seven and 12, beat off competition from hundreds of other dancers from across the county to get into the panto, which runs from December 12 to 30.

Miss Guy, who has been running the dance academy in Dunton for 23 years, said she was very proud of all the girls.

She added: "They all worked really hard to get to where they are and I am delighted that so many of them won places in the pantomime.

"Some of them will be playing the parts of the dwarfs themselves and others have got parts but they don't know what they are yet."

Other girls from the academy also auditioned but were not lucky enough to be given parts.

Miss Guy said: "It was a good experience for all of them just to be taking part in the auditions. Even those who didn't get through will have learned a lot.

"The rehearsals start on October 11 so the girls have plenty of time to practise."

Miss Guy said some of the girls taking part in the show have been members of the academy since they were three.

She added: "It is like having an extended family sometimes.

"I also run an adult class and some of the girls there are in their mid-20s and have been dancing for decades."