WHO hasn't dreamt of being woken up by a kiss from a charming, handsome prince, only to be roused by a snorting pig?

To many, the idea behind Sleeping Beauty may be as far-fetched as Evening News letter writer extraordine George Cowley ever getting it on with his beloved Shirley Bassey, but the fact is, the classic fairytale remains every pre-pubescent girl's fantasy.

Which is where the bewitchingly perfect world of ballet comes in, ensuring our dreams don't completely go up in a puff of rose tinted smoke.

Between Wednesday, May 19 and Friday, May 21, the small but perfectly formed European Ballet pays homage to the classic fairytale at the Swan Theatre, where it hopes to sweep audiences off their feet and leave romantics itching for some of the same.

For those who don't know, Charles Perrault's story follows beautiful princess Aurora, who is bound by a wicked fairy's spell to sleep for 100 years, only to be woken by the kiss of a handsome prince.

Amid the heartache and turmoil, however, there are uplifting moments courtesy of the Lilac Fairy, the Rose Adagio, the Bluebird and a cast of captivating characters waiting in the wings for a sparkling final wedding celebration.

Ballet buffs will vouch for the fact there's nothing more captivating than watching first hand the grace of a strapping young male dancer, intertwined with the strength of a slip of a ballerina, whirling around the stage on pointe.

Combine this with more than 45 exquisitely handcrafted costumes and a glorious Tchaikovsky score and you have what promises to be an exemplary production, with former principal dancer of The Bolshoi Ballet Stanislav Tchassov at the directing helm.

"Although we are small, we have international competition dancers and graduates of The Royal Ballet on board, who are fanatical about what they do," said Stanislav's wife, Inessa, who also graduated from The Bolshoi and now jointly runs the company.

"The company does like to entertain the provinces, where audiences would never usually get to see ballet of such a high standard.

"The wonderful thing about this production is that will appeal to very small children, from the age of about three, as is it is full of fairies and is very magical.

After touring the world with the elite Russian troupe for eight years, Stanislav's formed his first company, The British and Russian Stars of Ballet, drawing the "crme de la crme" from the Bolshoi, Kirov and Birmingham Royal ballets.

But with increasing interest from artistes across Europe, the London-based European Ballet was born and now sees between 100 and 200 candidates auditioning for each production.

"I don't think people realise how much goes into running this kind of company on a limited budget," said Inessa.

"Also, when the dancers present themselves on stage, it looks effortless, but there is a lot of travelling and rehearsals involved and although we may be performing at smaller venues, it takes a lot more professionalism and rehearsals to get it right.

"The dancers do enjoy performing on a large stage but they also love the warm, cosy atmosphere at little venues and the fact they get to see the audience up close."

Tickets to the ballet, which starts at 7.30pm, cost £14 & £16, children £12, and are available on 01905 611427.