A MALVERN ballerina is currently in China with the Northern Ballet Theatre.

Georgina Roberts, 22, of Tanhouse Lane, flew out on Sunday to perform La Traviata in Hangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

Dancing the role of Lucy in Dracula, she received some brilliant reviews last year and hopes to build on this in the season ahead, having been promoted within the company.

Georgina, who uses the stage name Georgina May, was looking forward to the China tour, which continues until January 27.

"Touring abroad is fabulous but we don't get much time off," she said. "When we have the opportunity for free time, we try to do as much as we can in the day."

Georgina was at a local dance school when she won a place as junior associate of the Royal Ballet, attending weekly classes at White Lodge in Birmingham.

As one of the most the most highly respected dance schools in the world, it was fiercely competitive, with every aspect of the young dancer's lives closely monitored.

However, Georgia's natural talent ensured she lasted the full five years, before earning a place at the Royal Ballet's Upper School.

"I never wanted to sit down as a child. I tried everything, swimming, gymnastics," she Georgina. "I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be a dancer.

"For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to be a dancer, going away was just a big adventure."

In 2002, Georgina joined Northern Ballet Theatre, the UK's leading touring dance company, giving more than 180 performances a year in the UK and abroad. The repertoire includes varied mix of classic ballet and newly commissioned works.

A ballerina's life is tough, with a lot of competition for promotions, many disappointments and the constant risk of injury.

"The thing about dancing, I think, is that you have to enjoy it. Otherwise, there's no point in doing it at all," said Georgina.

"Performing to a good audience is always brilliant. The opening night of a show is always great, for example, and if we do a fun ballet like Peter Pan, then the matinee is always wonderful when the theatre is full of children."