Young dancers celebrating string of trophies (From Salisbury Journal)

Young dancers celebrating string of trophies

10:00am Saturday 2nd February 2013 in New Forest News By Miranda Robertson

A GROUP of youngsters are on their way to a national dance final after beating hundreds of hopefuls in the semis.

Forty young people from Ringwood’s Shake dance school attended the Oxford Street Dance Championships on Sunday, scooping seven trophies against as many as 80 competitors in each category.

The school’s Under 12 Street Dance Group – Verwood’s Theo McKenzie Hayton, eight, and Ringwood’s Tanesha Bannerman Williams, nine, Finley King, nine, Jasmine King, 10, and Millie Patton, nine, won their class, along with the Over 16 Street Dance Group, made up of Ringwood’s Elliot Plate, 20, Brittany Davies, 17, Rebecca Tunpe, 16, Alisha Blake, 16, and Samantha Ngwenya, 17.

Theo also won the Under 12 Electric Boogaloo Solo and the Street Dance Solo, and Elliot also won the Over 16 Street Dance Duos with Verwood’s Jack Manley, 15.

Alisha and Brittany won the female Over 16 Street Dance Duos category, and Isaac Farmer won the Under 16 Electric Boogaloo Solos.

Jack and Isaac came second in the Over 16 Electric Boogaloo Duos, which also qualified them for the UK finals in London in May.

Shake owner Rachel King said: “I’m exhausted. We do about eight competitions a year and 90 per cent of it has to be choreographed.

“We’re taking 80 dancers to the next competition – it’s a lot of work, but worth it.

“They did so well on Sunday, and we’re very hopeful we’ll be taking many of them to the world finals in Denmark in October.”

The dance school is celebrating its tenth anniversary this summer, over which time its success has grown and grown.

Pupils come from around the area and two teachers come from London every week to train the dancers.

Ms King is planning a big bash with lots of special guests at Bournemouth’s V Club for the anniversary.