Fresh from her appearance as Clara in the Royal Opera House's production of the Nutcracker, Kenyan born Francesca Hayward is poised to be ballet's next big star.

Having been promoted to First Artist in 2013 after graduating from The Royal Ballet School in 2011, the dancer has long been the toast of the ballet world, having won the prestigious Lynn Seymour Prize in 2009 and named Young British Dancer of the Year 2010. Now Hayward is taking centre stage as principle dancer in the upcoming production of Frederick Ashton's ballet set to the music of Rachmaninoff.