A FORMER dancer who credits ballet with enabling her to live a 'normal' life after contracting polio as a child was thrilled to attend an outdoor performance by stars from The Royal Ballet.

Jill Kember, a resident at Castle View care home in Poundbury, was overjoyed to have the opportunity to watch a ballet performance by stars from The Royal Ballet - Ryoichi Hirano and Fumi Kaneko.

The performance took place at Athelhampton House, near Puddletown, and saw the principal dancers perform challenging choreography, before sitting down with Jill and chatting to her about their mutual love of dance.

Jill, 82, said: "It was a wonderful evening - I loved every minute of it.

"When I spoke with the dancers we discussed their performance. I was thrilled that they came to say hello to me personally. They looked so elegant and their costumes were exquisite. We also talked about dance in general and their experience of ballet companies.

"I won't forget things like that, I still love everything about ballet."

Dorset Echo: Ex-dancer Jill Kember meets Royal Ballet Principal Dancers Ryoichi Hirano, left, and Fumi Kaneko Picture: Colten CareEx-dancer Jill Kember meets Royal Ballet Principal Dancers Ryoichi Hirano, left, and Fumi Kaneko Picture: Colten Care

Jill, who is originally from London but lived in the Midlands before moving to Castle View in March this year, credits ballet with enabling her to live a 'normal adult life' after she contracted polio as a child.

She said: "I used to dance but I was not a professional. I was a London girl and I had polio as a child, and there was no physiotherapy then.

"It was suggested that ballet might help my condition, so I was sent to a ballet school in Kent, near Bromley. The ballet practice did indeed help. I used to dance at events and galas, that kind of thing.

"Ballet helped my recovery of polio and gave me the chance to live a normal adult life."

Jill was accompanied to Athelhampton House by the care home's championship team leader Katja Williams. Katja said of Jill: "She's a beautiful lady and it was a privilege to accompany her on the trip and to see how much it meant to her."

Jill added: "Without Katja's drive and determination I wouldn't have been able to do it. I was most grateful for the experience.

"For any young dancers who want some advice: remember, if you have the desire in your heart for dance, then you will dance."