Disneyland Paris has been the venue for a "magical" performance by a West Cumbrian dance troupe.

Youngsters from the Starkey School of Theatre Dance, run by Karen Starkey, have made their debut appearance at the famous venue.

They showcased routines for popular songs including Skyfall from James Bond, Singing In The Rain and Party Started.

Student Charlotte Howland said: "It was overwhelming to dance on such an immense stage but due to all the hard work that went into the performance it ran seamlessly. In true Disney style the whole experience was magical, one I will never forget. I am grateful to be given this opportunity."

While Natalie Hall said: “The whole trip was put together beautifully and the dance routines were stunning. I definitely think that this trip was the embodiment of ‘practice makes perfect’. The amount of rehearsals we had were tiring, but we were always kept busy, and because of that we put on an amazing show and we can definitely thank Miss Karen for our success.”

And Ffion Fleming said: “It was amazing, I have always wanted to dance at Disney since the first time I visited, and to do it with my friends made it all the more magical. I really enjoyed it, we had wonderfully choreographed dances, and amazing costumes. Also being able to see such a massive audience and my dance teacher at the front made me feel very proud to be a part of such a caring dance school.”

Russell Hall said: “I really enjoyed the experience. It was great fun and it seemed like everyone had the time of their lives.”

The dance school was offered the chance to perform by Mardi Gras of Kent, a company known for organising events in venues such as The Royal Albert Hall. They went through a rigorous audition process.

Principal Karen Starkey was tasked with coming up with a 20 minute dance routine that had to run without stopping. This meant the 36 dancers had around two and a half minutes to change costumes in the wings.

She said: "Having a full time job, along with other people having other commitments, we rehearsed on weekends, so it was a very tall order.

"We had six routines to choreograph, and a very quick change for the dancers who were not on stage in the wings."

The team travelled by Euro Star to perform at the famous venue.

Karen said: "We arrived and were met by the Disney co-ordinator who gave us a quick run through on the stage in costume, they just coped brilliantly, they just had to get on stage and do the job. For a change, I got to actually watch the performance, it ran like clock-work, it was absolutely awesome.”