ROYAL Ballet star Meaghan Grace Hinkis brings a dance gala to Dorset over the weekend of 13th and 14th September. The three performances in the grounds of Minterne House, north of Dorchester, are raising funds for the performing arts.

Between 2020 and 2022, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, First Soloist with the Royal Ballet, staged three weekend ballet galas in Dorset to raise funds for the performing arts after the devastation caused by the Covid lockdowns.

She returns to Dorset this year to stage another fund-raising gala weekend – a very special and rare chance to see some of the stars from world class ballet companies perform in this beautiful setting.

The dncers include Royal Ballet Principals Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Mayara Magri, Ryoichi Hirano, Akane Takada, Calvin Richardson and Matthew Ball; Birmingham Royal Ballet Principals Beatrice Parma and Max Maslen; English National Ballet First Soloist Precious Adams and ENB soloist Eric Snyder.

The musicians will be Sergey Levitin, concert master at the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and Michael Pansters, pianist for The Royal Ballet

The programme will include works by Marius Petipa, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, David Bintley, Johan Kobborg and Liam Scarlett, subject to the necessary permissions.

On Saturday, the gates gates open at 2.15pm, with the performance at 4.30pm. On Sunday, the gates will open at 2pm, and the performance at 4pm. Tickets can be booked with Dorchester Arts, and ticket holders are invited to picnic in the grounds of Minterne House before the performance.