PANTOS may be best known for slapstick humour, flamboyant costumes, over the top villains and daft songs.

But behind all the goofiness, Aladdin at Parr Hall is also a training ground for Warrington youngsters. The Tony Peers production is coming to the Palmyra Square venue from January 6 to 15.

And 20 girls from Felicia Burns School of Dance in Great Sankey will be on stage alongside the main cast. Felicia said that learning from professionals is invaluable to her students, some of which have gone on to perform in the West End.

She said: “I’ve been doing the panto at the Parr Hall for more than 20 years and I’ve been working alongside Tony Peers Productions for eight years. I love giving the kids the experience of it because it’s totally different to everything else that we do within the school.

“They’ve got about six dance routines and they interact with the cast all the way through the pantomime. It’s nice for them to have a taste of a professional environment.”

Two groups of 10 dancers, aged between eight and 15, will be taking it turns to do the 11 public shows and 10 school shows at the Parr Hall. Between them they will be performing in front of almost 15,000 people over the full run.

“They’re not daunted by it because they do a lot of performing in competitions and shows throughout the year,” added Felicia.

“The Parr Hall panto for me is what pantos are all about. It is good family entertainment which doesn’t rely on having a celebrity to sell tickets. At the end of the day the younger kids don’t know who celebrities are. They just go to see a goodie and to see a baddie.”

Felicia, who also works with Strictly Come Dancing’s Pasha Kovalev on his Parr Hall and Brindley shows, started dancing when she was two.

She said: “I got dragged along to a class when my mum Margaret was taking my cousin.

“She was older than me and I just went along for the ride but I ended up staying longer than she ever did. I loved all the glitz and glamour, the make-up and the spotlights – the whole lot.”

After training in numerous classes in St Helens, Felicia started her dance school 25 years ago. She now has about 300 kids on her books.

“I love to see children progress,” she added.

“I love to see little ones who start off quite timid and end up with loads of confidence. That is amazing for me. A lot of the kids that leave go on to do full time training in dance. I’ve had former students dancing in the West End and on cruise liners.

“It’s a wonderful feeling and whenever I get the chance to see them and support them in the West End or elsewhere I always take it. It’s very nice to see the school’s name in the programme when they do a little write-up of where the dancers have trained. It shows you have made a difference in someone’s life.”

Aladdin producer Tony Peers said: “I always look forward to bringing the panto to Warrington because I performed in Jack and the Beanstalk at Parr Hall many years ago. We do summer shows and lots of one-off performances throughout the year but pantomimes are always special. They’re such a great Christmas tradition.”

Nichola Lagan, who plays Aladdin, added: “This panto tells the classic tale of Arabian nights, a genie in a lamp and a beautiful princess, and we’re all determined the Warrington audience will thoroughly enjoy the show. It’s a magical story which really captures the imagination of the children.”

For tickets to Aladdin call 442345 or visit pyramidparrhall.com

And click the gallery above to see our behind-the-scenes pictures.

DAVID MORGAN