Professional dancer Danielle Mullan talks about life on and off stage as panto season begins

DANIELLE Mullan sashays into the green room in a hooped miniskirt, knee-high socks and a shocking mane of black hair with white streaks. She looks like a mix between Britney Spears in that video, Morticia Addams and a boiled humbug sweet.

Close-up, her make-up is perfect: bright red lips and heavy mascara. Her skin glows as if she's just spent two weeks on a beach in the Caribbean. Which she clearly hasn't.

That's because for the past month, she's been in York, largely indoors, rehearsing with the ensemble for Jack & The Beanstalk, this year's panto at York's Theatre Royal, where she plays Jill's "bestie".

"It's St Tropez," reveals Danielle, talking about the fake tan, not the French Riviera sunspot. "We all need a little bit of bronzing, otherwise the lights strip the colour out of you."

She is in the middle of the first full dress rehearsal and it's the culmination of weeks of hard work and months of planning.

York Press: MAKING A POINT: Danielle Mullan with AJ Powell in Jack & The Beanstalk

When she's not treading the boards at the Theatre Royal, Danielle has another life – in London. The 30 year old is from Middlesbrough, but works for most of the year in events in the capital, where she lives with her husband Jon, a retail manager and DJ.

She has been a dancer in Theatre Royal pantos for the past nine years – just missing one: the last Jack & the Beanstalk, coincidentally.

Preparations begin in October, when the costume fitters meets Danielle in London. "They pin you in to the costume, and get us to move around, kick our legs, swing our arms and make sure we can move all our limbs."

Danielle has five costume changes in all throughout the panto. Each outfit has to be comfy. The one she is wearing during our interview looks anything but – there appears to be a corset around her middle, a hooped cage over her hips, an oversized collar at her shoulders and frilly cuffs around her wrist, not to mention that OTT wig.

Danielle laughs: "All the costumes are really comfortable. We try them on and if anything is niggling at you, we get them fixed. When we go live they are as comfy as can be."

Danielle started dancing when she was 11, beginning with tap, ballet and modern and progressing to jazz, hip hop and street. To keep fit, she trains in the gym, but this year she did boot camps in preparation for a Tough Mudder, where runners complete a gruelling course full of obstacles and mud. Next year, she plans to run a marathon.

“I’ve been doing boot camps as well as working out in the gym. But I love classes too, like boxercise and Zumba! This year I was doing some weightlifting so I could get over those walls in the Tough Mudder.”

York Press:

LET'S DANCE: Panto stalwart Martin Barrass with Danielle Mullan in rehearsal for Jack & The Beanstalk at York Theatre Royal

When in York, Danielle lives in digs with Brummie panto favourite AJ Powell. They both joined the Theatre Royal panto family together nine years ago, and are firm friends, says Danielle.

“I remember the year I missed it – my heart felt in two. I remember I couldn’t bear to look at AJ’s social media. I can’t really imagine not being here.”

Tradition dictates that her real family come down from Middlesbrough to see Danielle in the panto on the last performance before Christmas, then take her home for the big day. But it’s a short break, because she has to be back in York for the two shows on Boxing Day.

“I don’t mind,” she says. “It’s not like I think: oh it’s Boxing Day and I have to go to work.”

It is a long run, stretching from December 14 to February 3, doesn’t it all get a bit repetitive?

“The show is a one-of-a-kind and every day is different,” says Danielle, alluding to panto dame Berwick Kaler’s trademark ad-libbing skills. “When things go wrong, it almost adds to the joy of it all. Berwick is so wonderful – he always comes out with something that is not in the script. It keeps it fresh.”

As dance captain for the ensemble, Danielle takes over once the choreographer has gone through each piece. “Once we are up and running, if anything needs tightening up, I clean things up with the adults and children.”

Does she get stage fright? “I have mixed emotions on the first night. I am so excited for people to see the show, but nervous as well. But that’s a good feeling. Nerves are good. I love it. It’s the best feeling ever.”

Find out more about ticket prices and performance times for Jack & The Beanstalk at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or telephone 01904 658162. Prices range from £14.50-£34