A 10-year-old dancer from Portadown has secured a place in a professional summer training programme tied to the Belfast International Ballet Festival.

Poppy Ashton will join the High Points Youth Ballet Summer Intensive, which runs for two weeks ahead of the main festival and culminates in a performance at The MAC theatre in Belfast on July 31.

The festival, now in its third year, runs from July 27 to August 1 and brings together more than 50 young dancers, professional artists and ballet enthusiasts from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England, Portugal and Turkey.

Ashton attends Respira Dance in Tandragee and recently represented Northern Ireland at the 2026 Dance World Cup. She placed 16th in the under-13 category and recorded the highest mark among Irish competitors.

She said she was most looking forward to the opportunity to dance alongside professional ballerinas from around the world, including Portadown-born dancer Leigh Alderson, who will also take part in the festival.

The summer intensive offers promising young dancers from across Northern Ireland the chance to train under internationally acclaimed teachers. Among the guest instructors are Sara Maria Barton, artistic director of Scotland's S-MB Company, and Ayfer Zeren, former artistic director of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet.

Northern Ireland ballet professionals Luc Burns and Anna McCoy will return home to share their skills with local audiences and students.

Rana O'Brien, managing director of High Points Youth Ballet CIC, congratulated Ashton and said the festival is designed to showcase Northern Ireland's ballet talent and give young dancers a meaningful opportunity to learn, perform and be inspired by role models who have built international careers.