High drama at Ballet Hoo!

It was clear from the outset this was no ordinary night at the theatre - the excitement, the noisy babble of voices and the number of Black Country accents created an almost electric charge even before the curtain went up.

And, as the first teenagers swaggered on stage, dressed as 16th century toughs, there were gasps from friends and family.

For nearly 60 youngsters, last night was their chance to show what they have achieved over the past 18 months as part of the Ballet Hoo! project.

A joint venture between Birmingham Royal Ballet, Channel 4, the charity Youth at Risk and four local authorities, the resulting TV series, currently being shown on Wednesday nights, was never about finding a new dance star - it was about taking taking troubled youngsters and helping them discover what they could achieve in their lives, helping them learn commitment and self-discipline.

On stage at the Hippodrome last night they produced a barn-storming performance, one of the most passionate and exciting that has been seen in that theatre for years.

Aided by a central core of professional dancers - and Romeo and Juliet were both excellent - the youngsters performed with zip and verve, and, despite their comparative inexperience, they barely put a foot wrong.

But individual performances too were excellent, such as David, aged 17, from Edgbaston, 15-year-old Shireenah from Yardley as Lord and Lady Capulet; 19-year-old Christina from Birmingham as Juliet's Nurse, and 16-year-old Sara-Marie from Wolverhampton as Rosaline.

Many in the audience - friends and family of the young performers - had never been to the ballet before, and at time the culture clash showed - the extended death scenes for Tybalt - Linden Walcott Burton, 17, from Dudley, oozing menace - and Mercutio both raised some titters. But by the final scenes, as the ballet moved towards its tragic finale, the whole audience was silent and gripped.

At the end, there was a standing ovation as the youngsters filled the stage hugged each other and were cheered to the rooftops as a wave of euphoria swept through the Hippodrome.

BRB director David Bentley, clearly overcome with emotion, said: "The impossible dream has just happened."

Paraphrasing one of the youngers, 19-year-old Andy from Stourbridge, he said: "These people have shown you, they have shown us and shown themselves, and in two weeks time they will show the nation, they are not nobodies, they are somebodies."

And Lady MacMillan, widow of choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan, who gave her permission for the production to be used for the TV series, said: "Nobody can take tonight away from you."

The series continues on Channel 4 and the Hippodrome performance will be shown on October 7.

Birmingham Royal Ballet's own production of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet starts tonight at the Hippodrome and continues until October 7.

Review by Simon Penfold

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