THE high point of three years work by a North-East dance company faced disaster when principal dancer Michelle Silby snapped a cruciate ligament on while on stage.

The York performer with Tees Dance Initiative now faces a long recovery period from injury, but the show had to go on and Newcastle dancer Rebekah Stokoe stepped in to help.

Dancer and choreographer Geoff Hopson, from Darlington, said: "Our other dancer Amanda Drago, from Newcastle, discovered that Rebekah was home from London and she agreed to take over. She managed to learn all six dances in three or four days."

The new-look line-up was able to complete a tour, which ended at Darlington's Arts Centre last night with a performance of Dance Shorts. Funded by Northern Arts and the borough councils of Darlington, Hartepool and Middlesbrough the Tees Dance Initiative (TDI) - which is managed by Newcastle's Dance City - is claiming success at having lifted the profile of dance in the Tees Valley.

Geoff Hopson and five other leading British choreographers provided the dance, which the TDI has taken to workshops throughout the area.

The next performance will take place at Reid Street Primary School, Darlington, on Monday.