HUNDREDS of young dancers wowed sell-out audiences in a spectacular production at Questors Theatre in Ealing.

More than 340 girls, aged four to 18, and two boys had the house whooping, hollering and clapping along to a glittering two-hour display in which audiences were treated to a modern take on traditional dances from around the globe.

Dance Gallery’s World and Beyond show opened in Africa with 120 dancers in grass skirts and animal prints, set to a pulsing tribal drum beat and chant.

It moved on to Japan, where costumes included kimonos, wigs and fans, to India for bhangra, performed in traditional purple trousers and tunics with gold sashes, then to Austria, where there was accomplished yodelling and an army of girls in blue and white stripes marching to a version of The Lonely Goatherd.

The mood slowed for a movingly sung Adele medley. The vocals on I Wanna Be Loved by You were notably fine. Oh My God! (You Guys), sung in 50s prints, was huge fun.

The youngest dancers had hearts melting as, well past their bed times, they concentrated on their moves, dressed in green tutus for Jungle Book and dungarees and pig-tails for Yellow Brick Road.

The pace stepped up a gear in the second half, set ‘beyond’ the globe and launching with a pumping, futuristic routine performed in white space suits and visors to Fatboy Slim’s Right Here Right Now.

The show drew to a close with numbers from the musical Sister Act and a finale featuring five soloists and 250 sparkling nuns singing in harmony.

The crowds were wowed by the 1,600 costumes, the brilliantly imaginative lighting, the gymnasts, and, from Oz, the three Dorothys and the lion, scarecrow and tin man, all of whom performed fine solos.

One parent said afterwards: “The whole thing was brilliantly done and great fun to watch. Everybody loved it. It’s not just about seeing your own child perform, it’s about seeing all your friends’ and neighbours’ children perform too, in a production they have been working towards for eighteen months.

“It is such a wonderful community event and it makes you feel rather emotional and very lucky to have a daughter who is part of it.”

Jill Wellman, principal of Dance Gallery, who devised, produced and directed the show – her fifth – said: “Once again the girls and boys have risen to the occasion. All the hard work has paid off and they have achieved something they can be really proud of.”

She said she could not have made the show a success without her ‘brilliant’ team including Lottie Croucher, Julie Mes, Robine Lande, Clare McKnight, Cynthia Haliburn and the many parents who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.