Royal Academy of Dance flagship national competition Midlands & East England Heat to take place at The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), in association with the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation and the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation, presents the 2008 Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers Competition at The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham on 2 & 3 February 2008.

Hundreds of aspiring young dancers (10-13 years) from all over the UK have entered the competition for the chance to work alongside leading dance professionals and experience the thrill of performing in front of live audiences in all four Regional heats scheduled to take place in Woking, Manchester, Birmingham and Weston-super-Mare.

The candidates, who will be performing four exclusively choreographed variations by world renowned choreographer Gillian Lynne CBE, will be competing for one of the 20 sought after places in the Final. Six winners, four from Level 1 and two from Level 2, will be selected from the heat in Birmingham to join the Finalists who will be chosen from the Woking, Manchester and Weston-super-Mare heats.

The competition, named after two of the greatest dancers ever, was first held in 2006 and is held biennially. Its aim is to increase the popularity of ballet among young people and to identify, encourage and nurture talent for the long-term future of British Ballet.

Dame Antoinette Sibley DBE, President of the Royal Academy of Dance, is very passionate about this year's competition: "This year, we have an even larger number of candidates, testament to all that the competition represents and endeavours to fulfil. We are honoured to be offering our support and guidance to these aspiring young dancers whose potential is only beginning to unfold and who, hopefully, will be the British dancers of the future."

Eminent dance professionals, including Christopher Hampson, Agnes Oaks, David Nixon, Pippa Moore, Desmond Kelly, Marion Tait and Sarah McIlroy will be acting as guest judges across the country, expressing their support and commitment to the Competition.

The Final will be held on 13 April 2008 at The Bloomsbury Theatre in London, where two candidates, one from each Level, will be awarded the 'Young Ballet Dancer 2008' title, as well as £1,500.

The 2006 Level 1 winner, Oliver Taylor, went on to secure the title role in the West End hit Billy Elliot - The Musical.

The Academy is delighted that it has been granted permission to use extracts of music from, and inspired by, the motion pictures "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", composed by John Williams, to accompany these variations.

The competition has been made possible by the funding and support of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation and generous, additional contributions from International Dance Supplies and the Musical Opera and Ballet Trust.

Tickets to watch the competition are available from the Box Office: 0870 730 1234 Groups: 0870 730 4321