Two hundred and twenty dancers took to the stage in Andover recently.

School, dance and drama groups joined to put on an "awe- inspiring" show at The Lights as part of this year's Dance Festival.

Organised and hosted by Balksbury Junior School, the show included performers from schools, including John Hanson Community School, Knights Enham Junior School, Portway Junior School, Endeavour Primary School, Farleigh School, Winton Academy and Andover College.

Pauline Parker, organiser, said: "It was awe-inspiring to see the variety of talent Andover has to offer and the variety of ages which really highlighted that no matter what your age, dance can be enjoyed by all.

"Whether a group were dancing for fun or showcasing some coursework, it was clear that their months of preparation and commitment truly paid off."

The event provides a platform for dancers to showcase their talents on a real stage for an audience.

While many schools participated, they were joined by some of the area's dance groups, including Suzanne School of Dance, Ruby Slippers, Fair Play Performing Arts, the Long Overdue Theatre School, Shuffles and Splits and Louise Vincent School of Dancing.

The Mayor of Test Valley, Cllr Carl Borg- Neal, said he was “blown away by the talent that Andover had to offer” before he presented each group with a unique participation certificate.

Balksbury Junior School thanked all of the schools and groups who performed at the festival.

The school also thanked Waitrose for its support as it provided the event with a Community Award and money raised from this paid for each participant to receive a Dance Festival armband as a memento of their hard work.