WHILE many of us are still doing the last minute preparations for this Christmas, at least one major company is looking ahead.

Northern Ballet, whose production of The Nutcracker is playing to packed houses at Leeds Grand, has announced its Christmas plans – for 2013.

And the company has gone for a classic. It’s the ultimate rags to riches fairytale, Cinderella.

The company will be staging a magical new production of this well-loved story by its artistic director, David Nixon.

The ballet will have its world première at Leeds Grand Theatre on December 17 of next year before touring nationally in 2014.

Cinderella will be David Nixon’s 15th new full-length production for Northern Ballet where he has been Artistic Director since 2001.

It is his second new ballet for 2013 which also sees the world première and national tour of The Great Gatsby from March 2.

Cinderella is the fifth addition to Northern Ballet’s repertoire of highly successful family ballets which already includes The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol and Beauty and the Beast.