DANCERS from the Liphook Academy of Dance transported their audiences to another world and another time with their recent production of The Enchanted House.

Written, produced and directed by the academy’s founder Rebecca Paris, it tells the fairytale story of George Charles Oliver, her great-grandfather, who became a casualty of the First World War – leaving behind a house in the woods after dreaming of getting married there one day and filling it with children and laughter.

After standing empty for many years, a group of children playing in the woods discover its remains and find out that every full moon, strange things happen inside the enchanted house where paintings come alive, cats and kittens love to play and children freeze into empty picture frames.

The story has a happy ending when a group of Ghostbusters and Men in Black come to the rescue and set the children free.

With a mixture of street dance, tap, ballet, and primary ballet, children between the ages of three and 16 delighted audiences with three sold-out performances to contemporary songs and classical music.

A poignant and moving tribute to those fallen in the wars, entitled ‘War Memorial,’ was performed by mature students Kirsty Foreman, Mo Frost, Corinna Harris, Yasmin Kay, Holly Patten, Kasia Sosin and Evelyn Welsh.

A haunting ghost dance featured Yasmin Kay with Charlotte Colton, Isabelle Davis, Ellie Gardner, Sophie Higgs-James, River Holloway, Chloe Hooker-Denham, Alice McWhirter, Phoebe Stevens and Ella-Grace Visioli.

Younger dancers gave delightful cats and kittens ballet renditions as well as a Scooby Doo tap dance and Tiny Tots ballerinas, dressed in pink tutu’s brought the house down.

Classical and striking performances were delivered by the progressive ballet group, as well as street dancers in a rendition of The Clash’s punk anthem London Calling and ballet intermediates in a tribute to West End musical Cats.

Rebecca told The Herald: “Dance achievements we can celebrate this year include exceptional ballet exam results obtained by more than 40 academy students last November.

“Our former academy graduate, James Revell, is now the dance captain for the UK tour of Hairspray, which is coming to Guildford in November.

“Charlie Day, who came to see the show, has just finished his Costa Line Cruise dance contract and Jess Paris is starting her Caribbean cruise dance contract in July.

“This year we also welcomed Amesbury school students, who I have been teaching, to the show and they delivered their exam dances during the first performance.”

Graduating in 2017 are students Mo Frost, James Laight, Holly Patten and Evelyn Welsh, while Corinna Harris is leaving to start university in September.

Rebecca thanked all the volunteers working and helping behind the scenes, as well as her artist mother, Anne Bowen, who painted the signature image of the haunted house.