Xela proves she’s got talent!
everyone that’s voted for me and donated to Springhill Hospice.”
Claire, 37, said: “When she found out she won we all screamed the house down, it was amazing!
“She wanted to stay up until midnight to see the result of the vote but she only made it to 11.30 when she woke up in the morning, she couldn’t believe it.”
Organiser Paul Ellison presented Xela with a congratulatory certificate while she waits to receive her gift voucher - with Claire adding that she has a list of people she plans to use her winnings to thank for their support during the competition.
The Castleton Primary School pupil has been taking classes at Turners Dance Studios since she was three, and prior to lockdown was spending four hours a night at the studio every day apart from Friday to take lessons in a range of dance styles.
Turners took to social media to praise Xela’s ‘amazing’ achievement, writing: “Xela is an amazing dancer who works so hard and is such a loyal, dedicated student!
“The whole event has been amazing for Rochdale, from the talent of the town, the money raised for the hospice and the fun of voting!”
Claire has recently gone back to work at Queensway Autos, meaning Xela has been back at school since last Tuesday (June 2) - leaving her with a short amount of time to perfect, film and upload her final routine before the June 3 deadline.
She added that preparing for the competition had livened up lockdown life for the whole family, and that seeing the huge positive feedback for her performances online had given Xela a big boost of confidence.
She said: “We’ve done lots of things together like baking and going for walks but now in week 11 or 12 of lockdown, you feel enough’s enough - so it’s been nice for her to have a little bit of a break!
“It’s been such a good thing for her to get involved in - not just preparing the dances but getting in touch with all her friends and our family all over the country to ask them to vote and donate as well.
“The other entries have all been amazing as well, we’ve loved watching them all.
“Xela is actually quite shy and reserved in real life so it’s been great for her to have all the praise and support.”
She added: “We’re unbelievably proud of her - she’s a real perfectionist and wouldn’t stop working on any of her routines until they were just right.
“Thank you to the organisers as well for all they’ve done to put this together - just what we all needed during these times!”
Paul Ellison said: “Xela was popular from the very beginning of the competition - congratulations to her on her well-deserved win.
“What a superb competition it’s been - it’s been excellent to watch, we’ve had lots of donations coming in and it’s just been tremendous by the people of Rochdale.”