THE Birmingham Royal Ballet arrived in the North-East last night, fresh from a trip to New York.

The company began a five-night stint at Sunderland's Empire Theatre.

Ballet lovers can enjoy a celebration of the work of choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton during the next few days.

Seats at the Empire are £10 for all performances - thanks to the Ballet for a Tenner campaign.

Today's performance is a repeat of last night's triple bill and includes Scenes De Ballet, Dante Sonata and Enigma Variations.

From tomorrow until Saturday, there will be a chance to see performances of The Two Pigeons and Divertissements.

Saturday also has a fun-day element, when, from 1pm, the audience can meet the company and learn about life backstage.

For more information and tickets, call the Empire box office on 0191-514 2517