Ballet-loving girls' big break

Lily, who also does jazz, tap dancing and singing, said: "I was excited when I found out and this is the first year I have been old enough. I watched my sister in it before and she was very good so I wanted to do it as well. I love performing and I really like classical music."

The younger sister is at St Anselms Catholic Primary School, Roxborough Park, and attends the West London School of Dance twice a week, which is the extra curricular branch of the Young Dancers Academy, which Isabel attends on a full time basis.

Isabel, whose favourite performance to dance in is The Nutcracker, said: "I have done a show with them before and didn't think I would get it again, there was a lot of acting in the audition and I am not quite as good at acting. I have always done ballet and without it my life would be a lot more boring, and I never get bored when I am dancing. Performing on stage is the best part for me, I don't get nervous, just buzzy and excited and I want to be a dancer when I am older."

Their mother, Maxine O'Neill, said: "There isn't a lot of competition between them and they do get on really well."

This is Isabel's fourth time performing with the London Children's Ballet, which is a charity and gives children from all backgrounds the opportunity to pursue dance, and Lily's first time.

Rehearsals will take place in Fulham each week until Easter when they will be every day.

The family live on Nelson Road, Harrow on the Hill with two older brothers, Joseph, 17, who is training to be a chef and Alex, 15, who is at Salvatorian College.

Their father, Shane, works for Universal Music.

In the production of The Little Princess, which tells the story of Sara Crew who was born in India but raised in a formal boarding school in England, Isabel is a school girl, a paper boy and a maid and Lily will be in the town centre scene and performing as a baby bat.