DOZENS of amateur performers have danced their way to the start of the Commonwealth Games auditions.

The try-outs, one of three sessions being held yesterday, saw more than 50 budding cast members sing, shout and jive at Govan town hall.

They will find out in April if they have made the cut to be one of 3000 cast members for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies in July.

Maria Stewart, 52, from Glasgow, said: "I just wanted to be part of the whole affair.

"Although I can't move very well, I can still sing and I've got a lot of theatre background.

"I'm so glad I came, it's been fabulous. Everybody was frightened beforehand as we hadn't been given any audition pieces, but they organised it and everybody has been smiling and happy.

"I'll go to sleep smiling tonight."

James Skinner, 67, a retired delivery driver from Sandyhills in the east end, remembers the 1968 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. He said: "Now it's Glasgow time. The Games are giving the city a boost, which is really needed."

Volunteers of all ages and nationalities stood side by side.

People from New Zealand, Singapore and Canada danced to Daft Punk alongside others from Glasgow, and the rest of the UK. Some had been involved with previous ceremonies, such as the London Olympics in 2012 or the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but most had no formal training.

Mona Yeganegi, 25, a paediatric psychiatrist from Toronto, has taken part in the past three Olympic ceremonies and flew in to Glasgow just for the audition. She said: "It's inspiring, it's active and alive, and I'm very excited to be in Scotland."

Steve Boyd, who has helped organise ceremonies at the past 12 summer and winter Olympics, took the warm-up, followed by Scots performer Andy Cannon who led an acting class with the group.

Choreographers Roxanne Smith and Natasha Khamjani also put the group through their paces.