A TALENTED dance teacher is "on top of the world" after landing her dream job with the prestigious Royal Ballet School.

Nicole Paskin, who is Principal of La’Pelle Academy of Dance, based on Dudley Road, Halesowen, has become an affiliate teacher with the Royal Ballet School after undergoing a series of rigorous auditions.

The programme is directed to executive ballet teachers who are trained directly by The Royal Ballet School and are then accredited to deliver the programme to students in their own dance schools, giving them the best possible classical training there is.

Nicole said she will be setting up a bespoke classical ballet training programme within the Midlands, offering talented students from across the UK the skills and technique to further their chosen career path within the ballet world.

She said: “I was scared and thinking I’d gone for something completely out of my league, to go for something I’d forever dreamed of.

"Turns out I was just what they wanted.

"I am on top of the world and I can’t wait to share all I learn with the students I teach”

Nicole trained professionally with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet.

Her auditions consisted of teaching a group students, dancing and performing herself, lesson plan writing and being interviewed.