Sally Churchward spent the day meeting dancers and singers who were auditioning to perform on QM2...

IT'S A sunny March morning in central London and the famous Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden is buzzing with excitement, anticipation and a good-sized helping of tension.

Over 120 dancers have packed a large first-floor studio, hoping to win a place as a cast member on Queen Mary 2.

It feels as if I've walked into an episode of Fame. Everyone is impossibly gorgeous and decked out in the kind of clothes that only a professional dancer could get away with - legwarmers and tiny tops are very much de rigueur.

The dancers are leaping, pirouetting and smiling away in the hope of impressing artistic director Belinda King, whose company, Belinda King Presents Ltd, supplies all the singers and dancers on the world's largest passenger liner, which berths in Southampton.

Her company also created and produces the three shows which entertain passengers on board this luxury ship: Rock at the Opera, Apassionata and Zing Went The Strings.

She is joined in judging the hopefuls by managing director Alan Cutler and artistic director Lisa Cottrell, who is putting the dancers through their paces.

The atmosphere in the studio is surprisingly friendly. There are no Pop Idol-style judges here.

One girl arrives around two hours after everyone else and rushes up to Belinda to remind her that she had explained in advance that she was going to be late, and is kindly invited to join the auditioning group and try to pick up what they are doing. Another girl takes a tumble while leaping across the room. She, along with everyone else, giggles.

But although the judges are doing their best to keep the atmosphere light, picking the performers for the forthcoming cast change on the ship is a serious business.

"We're looking for a much higher standard of dancer than on most cruise ships," explains Belinda.

"The standard has to be at least as high as for West End shows. The dancers have to do three completely different shows. They have to be very good ballet dancers, but also have to do jazz and contemporary dancing."

She recognises that, unlike in other countries, performers tend to look down their noses a little at performing on ships but thinks that that attitude will change with time.

"The work's as challenging and good as in the West End but the conditions are much better on the ship. In London they're looking at having to survive on £300 a week."

Belinda was hoping to take several dancers from today's audition.

The initial group of dancers has been cut to just 13, but the chance of any of them making it on to the ship doesn't look too good.

None of the judges are particularly impressed with the selection of dancers in the studio, although to a lay person they look incredible. Belinda says that they will have to widen their net - auditions are set to take place in Russia and Romania as well.

The girls (and one boy who has made the first cut) seem to be dancing to the point of exhaustion, leaping higher and higher, throwing themselves on to their knees and back up again, performing turn after turn in the hope of standing out from the crowd.

Their efforts aren't quite wasted, but no one gets the result they were hoping for.

The dancers leave looking rather downcast but the judges have the prospect of the afternoon's singing auditions to keep their hopes up.

It's 2pm and outside a smaller studio in the basement of Pineapple the first batch of singers are waiting to be called.

They're a chatty bunch and seem to have a fairly laid-back attitude towards the audition process.

"You just don't know what they're looking for," says Nicholas Maude, a friendly 32-year-old from Watford.

"They could have a leading lady who's four feet tall so if you don't look right with her they won't pick you."

Nicholas is here because QM2 is 'THE ship': "I can see myself striding round the deck in the Caribbean," he says.

Twenty-four-year-old Londoner Alex McNamara agrees. "I've never applied for a cruise ship before, but this one sounds quite special," he says.

The pair swap stories about audition experiences. Nicholas has heard about someone who auditioned for Grease by putting on a cassette with John Travolta singing on it and miming, before telling the judges that he was off to try out for Les Miserables, presumably in the same manner.

Luckily, none of the singers auditioning for QM2 try this method of impressing the judges. They all seem incredibly talented - far better than you see on shows like Pop Idol and Fame Academy. A few offers are made for singers to join the ship and the afternoon, at least, is a success.

It's been a long day for the hopeful dancers and singers and the judges and no one has really got the results that they were hoping for but, for Belinda King and her team at least, it's worth it.

After all, QM2 is the greatest ship in the world and it deserves the shows to match.