CREDITON has a reputation for having produced some fine dancers in its time, most notably perhaps, Jonathan Cope, a former principal with The Royal Ballet, who is now one of its repetiteurs.

Jonathan learned dance at the town's former Liberal Club, now the General Sir Redvers Buller, but now students of a dance school which meets at Crediton's old Town Hall are set to take the dance world by storm.

The students, from the Charles Academy of Dance, demonstrated their exceptional skill and talents when they presented The Energy Express at Exeter's Corn Exchange.

Audiences were invited to travel on-board for a journey through a spectacular day of dance!

Through many dance forms and time zones the audience was lead on a magical and exciting journey.

Beginning with a 1940's scene full of drama, energy and emotion along with air raid sirens, poppies and Union flags, the Academy's junior and senior company started the journey.

Izzy Ripley followed with a beautiful ballet solo followed by a modern dance from the contemporary and lyrical class complete with chairs, glasses, a banana-eating scene which excelled with technical ability.

Grade one Modern class followed with delightful country-style performance followed by young ballet pupils, who had mastered all the basic steps, quickly followed by the senior ballet class who were jaw-dropping with their skill.

Then followed some foot-perfect butterflies and some tap dancers with attitude.

After that, brave ballet students and unlike so many other dance schools where students just follow the steps of their teacher from the sides, students from the Charles Academy knew exactly what the steps were and just where they should be.

There was elegance with other ballet performances and in Grade Four Modern's dance to Read All About It there was a polished performance complete with the occasional copy of the Crediton Courier.

Charlotte Wareham and Tallulah Baker presented lovely solos and with a montage of tunes and top-class dancing, the first half ended with "Just a Normal Day at Ballet School...!".

Act two was just as full of technical ability from the students, with ballet and tap, modern solos from Chris Jones, Charlotte Wareham, Rebecca Bonsor, Megan Raymond and a duet from Jade Woodstock and Charlotte Wareham.

There was comedy with a hairdressing scene, some delightful junior tappers and also some from tappers who were not so junior!

Performances to Thriller and Rockin Robin were memorable as were performances from jazz classes and a body conditioning class, as well as the solo performers.

It was obvious that the students had put in hours and hours of work to prepare for their show.

There were no faults, it was a polished performance much to the credit of the students, school principal Amy Charles, head of ballet Cassie Hill and all those involved in the production.

The school opened in Crediton in September 2009 and has made a huge difference to the lives of so many young people from the Crediton area.

Two students who have excelled with the school are Charlotte Wareham (16) and Chris Jones (20), who have recently been accepted into two full-time dance colleges.

Charlotte will be leaving in September to attend Tring Park School for Performing Arts in Hertfordshire, after auditioning at the beginning of the year.

Chris, who auditioned in February, will be attending Performers College in Essex to study dance and performing arts.

The school will be a little poorer without such hugely-skilled dancers but this latest show demonstrated there is plenty of local talent right behind them to fill their dance shoes as leading lights on the stage with the Charles Academy.

• For more information about Charles Academy of Dance and their classes go to: http://www.charlesacademyofdance.co.uk">http://www.charlesacademyofdance.co.uk or telephone 07920 180707.

Charles Academy of Dance Junior and Senior Jazz group during a performance entitled: "Thriller", from left, Sophie Tucker (17), Steph Fidock (17), Bonnie Bolt (15), Alice Laffar (15), Jas McNamara (17), Megan Raymond (10), Zoe Burrow (13), Tallulah Barker (12) and Rebecca Bonsor (11).