PAST and present members of Dorchester Ballet and Dance Club are getting together this month to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

They will meet up for a special evening reception to be held at Athelhampton House on Sunday, September 21 from 5pm until 8pm.

Back in the 1950s, Ann Hannay, a great admirer of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova - hence the club's logo of the swan - began holding dance classes in local village halls such as Bradford Peverell and Martinstown.

The numbers began to grow and she began taking groups of pupils, all squashed into her car, to classes at the Wessex School of Dance in Bournemouth.

It was here that she met Elizabeth Goodchild, a young dancer and teacher.

The two shared a passion for ballet and a wish to bring dance to all, regardless of age, wealth or ability'.

This statement remains the club motto to this day.

It was in 1958 that they formed the Dorchester Ballet Club, now known as the Dorchester Ballet and Dance Club, holding their first classes in the Moule Institute in Dorchester.

Tickets for the golden anniversary celebration are £8 for adults and £4 for children to include drinks and canapes. The gardens will also be open for viewing.

There will be displays of ballet, modern and historical dancing with an opportunity to join in some Elizabethan dances.

The photograph albums will be on display so past members may be able to spot themselves among the pictures.

Tickets are available from Sara Cartwright on 01305 265303 or Elizabeth Goodchild on 01305 268029. More details of this event and classes can be found on the website dancedorchester.org