A talented teenager who dreams of dancing on stage in the musical Chicago has started training at an elite performing arts school this week.

Marianna Macari-Ferris, 19, from Shoreham, beat thousands of applicants to win a place at the Urdang Academy.

She’s enrolled on a prestigious three-year musical theatre course which includes ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, singing and acting.

The former Blatchington Mill pupil started dancing aged three, shortly after being adopted from an orphanage in China, and has graced dancefloors at the Rox School of Dance in Hove and the Arabesque School of Performing Arts in Chichester.

She said: “I’m absolutely loving it. It’s the beginning of a new chapter and I’m thrilled.

“The worldwide competition was very fierce and I was pitted against so many fantastic people.

“I’ve wanted to be a professional dancer all my life and been determined to get into Urdang for four years now.

“I’d like to thank all my teachers and mentors who have prepared me for my auditions.”

The Urdang Academy is housed in the ornate Old Finsbury Town Hall, with its productions proving popular with top casting agents.