<B>Essex boy on his toes for Britain</B> <BR> <BR>BY DALYA ALBERGE, ARTS CORRESPONDENT for The Times<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>A DANCER from Essex has been chosen to represent Britain at a prestigious European ballet competition in London this month. <BR>Jamie Bond, 18, from Leigh-on-Sea, will compete against rivals from 17 countries in the Eurovision Young Dancers championship. He is studying at the Royal Ballet School, an achievement to which Jamie Bell aspired in the title role of the recent hit film Billy Elliot.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001190699,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More...</B></A>

Bravo Jamie, we will all be rooting for you!<P>However, I did notice from press releases of other countries, reference to 'national heats' -as in Eurovision Song contest which as you know is done through a widely publicised national search for a song, voted for by the public. How is the young dancer chosen? I don't recall seeing any TV programme or info on our national heats.

Eurovision link<BR> <A HREF="http://www.ebu.ch/tv-msc_home.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ebu.ch/tv-msc_home.html</A>

for those lucky enough to go the competition is on between 19-23 June in the Linbury Theatre..Deborah Bull will introduce the programmes and Wayne McGregor will add comments. <BR>BBC 2 will show a 90 minute special around the 14th July , but check press nearer the time.