SWINDON dance students will be joining their favourite Disney characters to perform in a magical parade in Paris.

A group of 12 children from Swindon, all aged between six and 17, won through auditions to dance in the famous Disneyland parade in May, after months of hard work.

The selection started back in September when their choreographer Katie Kirby decided to record their rehearsals on a regular basis and send them over to Disney.

She said: “The children were all so excited to know that they’ve been selected. We had to wait a long time before we got an answer.

“We found out about the trip in September, then we practised once a fortnight until November 25 when we filmed our routine and set it over to Disney.”

Then there was a nervous two-month wait before they could find out whether they had a place in the show.

Katie said: “We had to wait until the end of January before we had an answer which was a yes.”

She launched the Kitty Langan Studio in Swindon as she aimed to put Swindon talents on the national stage.

She emailed COGO, the group travel company behind the event, a few months ago, after she was made aware of the opportunity.

Throughout the year, the company gives the opportunity to choirs, dance troupes and bands to perform in the French theme park.

With a Seine river cruise on a bateau mouche and a visit to the Disney Village, children will get a glimpse of the capital before heading to Disneyland Paris for their big performance.

The whole trip costs £440 per person and is fully paid by the children’s parents themselves.

Along with other groups from around the world, Katie and her dancers will take part in two different performances on May 29.

In the first, children will be performing their own 20-minute dance with choreography created entirely by their teacher.

The second show starts at 5pm and will see the troupe dancing in the parade with Mickey, Minnie and dozens of Disney favourites for about 40 minutes in front of an international audience.

The group has to send its choreography’s proposals by March 1 to receive feedback from Disneyland and meet the criteria.

According to Katie, this project will help them gain some recognition and attract new young dancers.

“We are always looking for new recruits to join us at the school and we often offer opportunities for our dancers.”

And they already have their sights on another adventure later in the year.

She said: “Our next mission is to perform at a Broadway theatre and in Times Square as we’re hoping to take the group to New York next July.”