POOLE went dance crazy when the National Dance Company Wales arrived in town.

As well as performing its autumn repertoire at Lighthouse on Tuesday night there was a special pop-up show and a children's workshop at a Canford Cliffs ballet school.

Shoppers at the Dolphin Centre were amazed when members of the young company exploded into a lively performance before their eyes, even incorporating the escalator into their routine.

During their tour, which includes Newcastle, Cardiff, Hereford, Newtown, Doncaster and Brecon the company asked residents to suggest a special local place for a pop up performance.

At the shopping centre they performed a witty, full of energy and fun piece from Tuplet by Alexander Ekman, which sees the dancers create a powerful soundtrack using part of their bodies, performed alongside familiar jazz sounds such as Fly Me to the Moon.

"Last year we performed on the iconic steps of Aberystwyth University ahead of the performance at Aberystwyth Arts Centre," said Lee Johnston, rehearsal director.

"The pop-up performance went viral and showed that dance and theatre is not bound by four walls and that we all love to dance, inside, outside, whatever the weather.”

Two of the company's dancers gave a workshop to 22 young dancers aged 10 to 18 at the Jane Farrell Ballet School at Canford Cliffs Village Hall.

After a warm up they learnt some sequences from the pieces the company performed at Lighthouse the following night. And the delighted pupils were in the audience to see the professional performance of three unique pieces created by the best European choreographers.

"It is a great opportunity for local children to learn from one of Britain's leading national companies," said Jane Farrell.

As well as Tuplet, the programme featured a world premiere of A Mighty Wind by Jeroen Verbruggen, a high energy piece which captured the intensity of nature during a storm, set against the power generated by an alternative rock music concert.

The familiar sounds of Ravel's Bolero accompanied Johan Inger's Walking Mad in which the dancers played and danced around a moving wall.

After the performance at Poole there was a talk by new artistic director, Caroline Finn.