THERE are few three-year-olds that can boast they've been to the ballet but an enthusiastic audience of mini dance fans proved that perhaps there should be more.

There were no empty seats for Birmingham Royal Ballet's First Steps show at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre, indicating that parents are keen to introduce their little ones to the art form at a very young age.

The company is in town for a four-night run of the grown-up version of Cinderella so what better opportunity to show the little ones what they can do?

Youngsters were treated to excerpts from the full-version - mainly the bits with the pretty costumes and the silly sisters Skinny and Dumpy - as well as given an introduction to what a 50-piece orchestra sounds like.

Designed for children aged three to seven, this clever show kept them captivated for an hour while perhaps giving them a little food for thought about their own dance lessons.

They may be little but they needed no prompting to burst into spontaneous applause when Cinders and her prince performed some stunning moves.

They'll be certain to tell their own ballet teachers and friends about it.

And my three-year-old theatre buddy could barely stop for breath as she rabbited about the show all the way home to Bournemouth. Great idea.