We've had The X Factor, Pop Idol and Strictly Come Dancing. Now meet the young hopefuls aiming to impress the judges and make it big in the world of ballet.

More than 600 children, aged between nine and 14, descended on the Dance Attic in Fulham to battle for a place with a prestigious dance charity.

They were hoping to secure one of 50 places with London Children's Ballet, a non-profitmaking organisation which aims to help children from all walks of life achieve their ambitions.

After six months of rehearsals they will perform classic ballet The Secret Garden at the West End's Peacock Theatre. The hopefuls, each bearing numbers on their chests, showed their moves to the judges, with only a shaky leg here and there showing how nervous they really were.

Sara Sullivan's 10-year-old son Archie was among the contenders. He has appeared in the company's last two productions.

She said: "In an average week he does ballet on a Tuesday and takes a class at the Russian Ballet School in Clapham every Friday. On a Saturday he does ballet, modern and tap and if he gets in for the third time he will do ballet for up to five hours every Sunday with LCB too. They are all really happy to do it and he loves coming every Sunday."

She said Archie, whose brother is a rugby player, does not take any flak from other boys for want ing to be a ballet dancer.

Another contender was Arielle Smith, 10, who lives near Trafalgar Square but is originally from Cuba. She said: "I've won my school talent contest three times. I want to be a ballerina. If not I would like to be any kind of dancer. I also do jazz and might start street dancing." The auditions came as it was revealed government ministers have hired a "dance czar" to extend the activity's appeal.

Tony Hall, executive director of the Royal Opera House, believes dance and ballet have suffered too long as the "poor relation of music".

He said: "Since the Second World War we have been one of the really great countries for ballet, but more recently we have been fighting against what I call the Morecambe-and-Wise-comedy effect which has given ballet, in particular, a bad name."