Julia Pochko returns to Cork for the classic ballet.She tells Ellie O’Byrne about her training regime and the importance of dance to her life.

The woman credited with being the driving force behind the Irish National Youth Ballet for the last 13 years has died unexpectedly, while on holidays in Lanzarote.

Marjorie Brennan goes behind the scenes at Cork City Ballet’s festive classic, The Nutcracker.

Tickets have been selling like hotcakes for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at the renowned Cork City Ballet in a fascinating documentary to be screened at the city’s Opera House next week.

As well as delving into the highlights of 25 years of the Leeside company, Alan Foley says the new film also gives insight into the life of a professional dancer, writes John Daly.

Sleeping Beauty at Cork Opera House: 4/5

It’s 25 years since Alan Foley created Cork City Ballet. Today it’s firmly established in the city’s cultural landscape, writes Ciara McDonnell.

Catch all you need-to-know entertainment news with Eoghan O’Sullivan.

He may have had a reputation as the coke-snorting bad boy of ballet, but Helen Barlow found there’s a lot more to Sergei Polunin. He talks about dancing to Hozier and how he came to possess Mickey Rourke’s bloody pants.

Experimental Fun

ALTHOUGH most of us aren’t blessed with the elegance, poise and skill of a ballerina, we can still take inspiration from the work they do.

After a long day patrolling the demilitarised zone of the Korean peninsula, these South-Korean soldiers trade their military boots for a pair of ballet shoes.

Bringing children to top-class ballet fosters an appreciation that endures into adulthood, writes Colette Keane

Kate Hudson was given her first pair of high heels at just 12 years old.

Michaela DePrince’s journey from civil war orphan to ballet star fame is the stuff of fairytale, writes Marjorie Brennan.

Six dancers perform the moves they find the hardest and some of them are properly insane.

Matthew Bourne re-imagines the classic ballet Swan Lake, says Tina Darb O’Sullivan.

Neil Francis is set to review a world-renowned performance of Swan Lake, days after saying he had no interest in ballet - much like the majority of gay people had no interest in sport.