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Ballet Ireland has had a Cinderella story of its own, often waiting for a fairy godmother to swoop down, but its next production may yet bring it to the ball, writes CHRISTIE TAYLOR SEAVER

LESS THAN 10 years ago, when Ballet Ireland dancers arrived for rehearsals, they would first roll out their own floor. The old, weather-beaten surface at the Archbishop Byrne Hall on Synge Street turned the dancers’ shoes into mush and hurt their ankles, so to eliminate dangerous slips, the company put down its own padding. But even accessing the cold, damp space took negotiations: actors from the Gaiety and performers from travelling panto shows would also scout out the hall as the city’s largest and most promising rehearsal venue.