If you're thinking of sending your child to ballet lessons soon then the European Ballet's production of Cinderella could be the perfect introduction.

The group, which consists of top ballet artists from France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and the UK, are bringing the classical fairytale to Fairfield Halls next Wednesday.

Co-founder and one of the directors of the company, Inessa Tchassov, says she believes the performance is one of the best to get children interested in the art form.

"It's a lovely story and people have a chance to being their children who are just starting ballet and show them what it is like because it is a strong ballet with humour in it," she says.

"It is a classical ballet so people might say it's boring to go and see like Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty but Cinderella has a lot of character and a lot of humour and many people associate it with being like a pantomime in this country.

"It's also a very easy story to understand and many people know it from their childhood."

Written by top Russian composer and conductor Serge Prokofiev during the Second World War, the ballet is considered one of his more famous works and has been performed all around the world by the major classical ballet companies.

"He wrote not so many ballets but this is one of the more performed ones," says Inessa.

"He started writing it in but was interrupted by the German invasion of Russia and had to finish it after that.

"It made it quite famous because of that.

"He was inspired by the war to write War and Peace in between which is an amazing and genius thing.

"Everybody can feel in the ballet that in some places the music is quite heavy and that shows the times were changing.

"But there are lighter and funny moments too, the whole ballet is equipped with a lot of humour that centres mostly set around the ugly sisters."

European Ballet: Cinderella, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, September 23, 4.30pm and 7.45pm, £12.50 to £18.50. Call 020 8688 9291 of visit fairfield.co.uk.