A DETERMINED dance and theatre troupe hope to be the ‘Belle’ of the ball as they take on a Guinness World Record attempt.

Pupils from Bicester will join forces with dancers around the world on Sunday to stage a simultaneous global performance of Beauty and the Beast.

The children from Stagecoach Performing Arts Bicester, who are based at Brookside Primary School in Bucknell Road, are taking on the record attempt to celebrate the dance school's 30th anniversary.

Stagecoach Bicester principal Emma Clarke said a lot or work had gone in to learning the moves to groove to Beauty and the Beast alongside thousands of others across the world.

The Bicester troupe will join some 12,500 children taking part in the performance across 144 locations including Canada, Germany and Malta.

It will mark the 30th anniversary of Stagecoach Performing Arts School which has dance groups globally.

The company launched in 1988 as an extra-curricular network of performing arts schools, teaching children to perform as well as build confidence among six-to-18-year-olds.

Ms Clarke said: “The students have been working very hard this term to put on a creative and exciting production. They can’t wait to perform the show to family and friends, and they are excited that the Mayor of Bicester will also be in the audience to support them in their exciting world record breaking attempt.”

Scores of theatre pupils will take to The Bicester School hall on Sunday and as the clock strikes 6pm they will do their best Beauty and Beast impressions as they glide round the dancefloor.

The world record being attempted is for the number of simultaneous dancers which currently stands at 66 performances of Gladrags across the UK, Ireland and Germany.

That was achieved by the theatre school ten years ago in 2008 as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.

So far, more than double the number of schools have signed up and are ready to dance alongside Bicester’s dance troupe for the win.

The ‘tale as old as time’ performance is one that the Bicester troupe have been learning ahead of a performance on stage in London.

Children from across the town have been putting their best foot forward over recent months to learn the moves for Beauty and the Beast to then perform at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End in July.

It comes just months after members of the Bicester group join a choral performance in front of a 60,000-strong crowd at the iconic London Stadium.

They were invited to be part of the half-time performances during a Saracens vs Harlequins Premiership Rugby match.