YOUNG ballet dancers were given an insight in to what it takes to get to the top as they were visited by a Russian star.

Janet Lomas School of Dancing welcomed professional dancer Tala Lee-Turton as she arrived in the UK this summer.

During her stopover in Bury the dancer came to the Blackford Bridge United Reformed Church-based school to give one-to-one private classes on Russian ballet technique.

Ms Lee-Turton said: “It was a privilege to teach private classes at the Janet Lomas School of Dancing.

"I was super-impressed by the standard of the students and how enthusiastic and motivated they were to learn and train with me.

"I saw some beautifully trained dancers and a lot of talent and potential.”

One of the youngsters taught by Ms Lee-Turton was 10-year-old Sophia Leong, who described her class as "very enjoyable", and said she was "impressed" having experienced the Russian technique.

Born and raised in Barnsley, Ms Lee-Turton moved to Russia at the age of 16 to pursue her dream to be a star.

She has since made history as only the third British female to graduate from the world famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy in 245 years.

To achieve her goals Ms Lee-Turton had to work extremely hard, first learning the Russian language from scratch and adapting to a rigorous routine of working up to 10 hours a day, six days a week.

After graduating she was awarded a contracts with the Astrakhan State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and later with the English National Ballet.

Johanna Hadley, a teacher at the Janet Lomas School of Dance, said: “It was such an honour to welcome Tala to our school.

"For our students to have the opportunity to experience a Russian ballet technique class on a one-to-one basis with Tala was just so special.”

Ms Lee-Turton added: “I hope this is the first of many more visits to Bury to teach Janet and Johanna’s lovely students.”