The performance is usually held alongside the Jõhvi Ballet Festival but there was no room in the schedule this year.

"We invited everyone, a bit last minute. And what's particularly nice is that all the ballet schools and studios and classes in Estonia accepted our invitation. And when we consider that ballet is not the most popular type of dance in Estonia and that it is a difficult dance discipline, it is all the more gratifying and surprising that we have 150 children on stage today," said organizer Anne Nõgu.

While the performance on Sunday may have looked beautiful to the audience, the young performers still needed to overcome their nerves,

"It's still very tense, when you know that the whole hall is full and your family members are watching you, you get very nervous," said Anna Mironova, a student at the Kauri School Ballet Studio

The organizers stressed the importance of this event.

"These opportunities to watch others and to show yourself are few in number – Jõhvi was one of them and we hope to do it again one day – and both sides are important. We want both to see what has been done, and what we are learning, and to show what we ourselves have learned. And show off our beautiful dresses," said Nõgu.

The participating schools were: Kersti Adamson Ballet Studio (Pärnu), MUBA (Tallinn), Noor Ballett Fouetté Dance Studio (Tallinn), Fléur Dance and Ballet School (Tartu), Ida Dance School (Tartu), Iris Ballet Studio (Tallinn), Paide Music and Theater Ballet School, Maria Dance Studio (Kuressaare), Marina Chirkova Ballet Academy (Tallinn) and Goltsman Ballet Studio (Tallinn). The Kerava Dance and Ballet School from Finland participated as a special guest and the performance was directed Dmitri Harchenko.

The ballet performance opened the fourth Rakvere cultural festival, which lasts until November 12.

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