SO surreal was the experience of appearing on stage in front of a rapturous audience at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, Betty Skelton almost had to pinch herself to make sure it was happening.

The 62-year-old retired primary school teacher from Saltcoats admits she couldn't have been further out of her comfort zone when she joined Candoco Dance Company for the performance of Jerome Bel's The Show Must Go On.

Surrounded by professional dancers, she was the only keen amateur, whose usual experience of dance is a Scottish Ballet class for over-55s once a week at Tramway in Glasgow.

"There were dancers among us who have trained for years and that was their first time on stage at Sadler's Wells. Basically I've just walked up off the street and onto the stage. That was incredibly exciting," remembers Betty with great delight.

"Just before our performance began, sitting in the dark on stage, listening to the audience coming in, that was possibly the most exciting part of the whole thing."

Now Betty will be taking part in a performance of the show at Tramway on May 22 and 23 as part on Dance International Glasgow, a new biennial event.

She is the only Scottish member of the cast of 20 that includes able-bodied and disabled performers.

Betty auditioned for the part after seeing a notice at Tramway. Completely deaf in one ear and with limited hearing in the other, that doesn't get in the way of her ability or passion for dance.

After a three-hour workshop audition she got the part and then spent two and a half weeks in London, in intensive rehearsals, before taking to the stage at Sadler's Wells and receiving five-star reviews.

"Right from the start there was absolutely no difference made between whether you were professional, non-professional, young, old, disabled or able-bodied. We were given tasks to do and everyone was expected to do it. It was quite hard at times but really exciting," she explains.

"They are an incredibly supportive cast, each one nicer than the last, and they all bring something quite remarkable to the production.

"I learned so much about myself: I am quite capable of doing things."

She adds: "It is quite an amazing show from start to finish, it really challenges the audience but also the dancers and performers in so many ways.

"It's very intense at times as a performer but it can also be for the audience as well. I've thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

"I go to the theatre a lot but I've never had anything to do with the performance side. To be in at the beginning of the creation of the piece in our production and seeing it all come together, that has been fantastic."

The Show Must Go On was created in 2001 and is one of the iconic works in the career of French choreographer Jérôme Bel.

The show examines the relationship between art and life, constantly surprising and challenging the viewer's expectations.

Controlled by a DJ and audio feed, the performers follow lyrics of songs ranging from John Lennon's Imagine to Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence.

Bel is famous for his minimalist productions that strip the stage bare and create a more honest connection between the audience and the performers.

"Everybody is on stage all of the time. We're doing a literal interpretation of the lyrics of songs you know, and it really makes you listen to the words," says Betty.

"They are songs I have known for years and relearned or found out something else about them. Most of it is what you would do in the privacy of your own bedroom as a teenager listening to music, some of it is things you would dream about doing and we're doing it.

"There's so much about the show that has to be seen, if you describe too much you give too much away."

So well rehearsed has the piece been, with a dancer in a wheelchair, another on crutches, that Betty says she has no worries about stage fright.

"Within the piece you can make mistakes without it being obvious to the audience," she says " It's not synchronised, it's very fluid and individual in many ways so you can get away with mistakes a wee bit."

The cast had a chance to meet Jerome Bel when he sat in on the dress rehearsal before the Sadler's Wells performance and then gave notes.

"It was so fabulous because he is every bit as excited about the show as he was when he created it 12 years ago," says Betty.

"He was really pleased with what we had done and in just a few words tweaked wee bits here and there and lifted it to a different level. So we had his blessing."

She believes the show works so well because audience members immediately engage with music they are familiar with.

"I had two friends come to see a show and one had laughed so much her ribs were sore, while the other one had a completely different take on it and found it incredibly emotional and had been crying," says Betty.

"That's what we've found with any members of the audience we have spoken to, because the music is so much part of everyone's lives, basically it's the soundtrack to my life, it brings out different things in people.

" If you associate something really positive and happy from that music, that's what you get from it, whereas if it's something nostalgic or something that reminds you of your first love, it could be completely different. It's very emotive."

The Show Must Go On by Candoco Dance Company is part of Dance International Glasgow and on at Tramway, Glasgow on May 22 and 23. Visit www.tramway.org