Two ballet dancing brothers are celebrating a double success after winning scholarships to a prestigious dance school.

Bradford's own Billy Elliotts - teenagers Christopher and Michael Longstaff, of Otley Road - have set their sights on stardom after both being awarded places at the acclaimed Northern Ballet in Manchester.

The pirouetting pair, who are students at the Footsteps theatre school in Eccleshill, heard within days of each other that they had been accepted by the ballet school, which is seen as a stepping stone to West End and Broadway success.

Michael, 15, said it was a dream come true for him and sixteen-year-old brother Christopher.

He said: "It's brilliant news. I got the letter saying I'd been accepted first and then it was a bit of an anxious wait to see if Chris had got in too. Now we can't wait to go.

"It's what we've been working towards for four years. It really is a dream come true."

Michael, a pupil at Hanson Upper School, said people had poked fun at him when he first began ballet lessons.

He said: "It is quite unusual for boys to do ballet. Friends did take the mickey out of me a bit when I first told them what I was doing. But I just ignored it and they eventually got bored and gave up.

"Now I think they're quite proud of what we've achieved.

"The reason I decided to take it up in the first place was because it just looked so good. It looks so graceful and powerful and I get a real buzz out of being on stage and entertaining people. I feel like I belong up there.

"I'd really like to thank my mum and dad because without them we would never have got this far. I want to go on and star in the West End."

The full scholarships mean the brothers will have thousands of pounds worth of tuition fees paid by the ballet company.

Mum Maureen Longstaff, said: "I'm so proud of both of them because it's what they've always wanted. "The fees are about £9,000 a year each and they've both got a three-year scholarship so they've done really well. It would have been a struggle to find that sort of money - but we would have done our best."

Footsteps principal Heidi Westman, who also studied at the Northern Ballet, said: "They're just typical lads who like football, computer games and girls. They're both really talented and I'm chuffed to bits for the pair of them to get into one of the most prestigious schools in the country."