A North Somerset dance group is to perform at a prestigious event in London next month.

Yeo!Dance 09 (YDO9), a group of young dancers aged 10 to 14 years old, takes its name from the River Yeo which flows through the village of Congresbury.

The group's piece, Breathing Spaces, has been commissioned as a community project by Youth Dance England and the Find Your Talent North Somerset Pathfinder scheme.

The group's inaugural performance will take place at the Mermaid Theatre, London, on April 2 as part of the Youth Dance England conference.

Students found inspiration for the piece from Celtic folklore, the history of Congresbury, open rural spaces and the "life force" of local young people.

YDO9 is a new group of young dancers comprising Year 6 pupils from St Andrew's Juniors in Congresbury and Year 7, 8 and 9 students at Churchill Community School.

Director Carolyn Savidge leads the group with the help of performer and assistant choreographer Emily Wyatt.

Emily, 19, attended Glebe Infant and St Andrew's Junior schools in Congresbury as well as Churchill Community School and is seeking a place at university to continue her development in performing arts.

Other artists involved with the group include musical director Elizabeth Glen and young composer James Scriven, aged 19.

Susan Krekorian, a textile artist, has designed the costumes for the performance helped by volunteers from both schools and the local community while Richard Tomlinson has been filming the dancers and taking pictures of green open spaces around Congresbury to be shown on a screen throughout the performance.

The dancers have been rehearsing for the past six weeks to perfect the nine-minute piece.

Ms Savidge said: "The voices of the young people have been very important while working on this project and they have had real input into creating the performance."

"All the young people have really enjoyed working on this initiative and are keen to see the Yeo!Dance group continue and work on other projects.

"The support from the local community has been phenomenal with lots of people getting involved and helping in different ways."

The Find Your Talent pathfinder initiative aims to give children and young people the chance to try out different cultural and creative activities.

It encourages them to discover new things, to express themselves and develop passions, making the most of their talents, in and out of school.