Dance girls step out to rule world
ALOCAL dance school will be competing for the Dance World Cup finals.
Twenty-six dancers from the Sophie Dee School of Dance, in Hazel Grove, will be making the journey to San Sebastián, Spain to represent Team England this summer.
Pupils ages nine to 18 will be performing 15 different dances including solos, duets, trios and groups.
Sophie Dee Tighe, principal and director of Sophie Dee School of Dance, said: “We are very excited and we can’t wait to go!
“It is nice we are going abroad and the students are excited about the beach and the pools as much as the competition, and they’ll get time to explore too.
“The senior girls really enjoyed learning a new skill of how to play the castanets.
“For our students to reach the finals in such a prestigious competition is fantastic. They work so hard all year and are fully deserving of this recognition for all their dedication.”
This is the third year in a row the school’s Elite Festival Team have qualified to represent Team England at the finals taking place from June 24 to July 22.
The dances to be performed at Kursaal Auditorium and Victoria Eugenia Theatre include ballet, commercial, tap dancing, show dance, street dance and lyrical dance.
A traditional Spanish folk dance called jota will also be performed by the team and a soloist with castanets.
Dancers from the school auditioned last year via video submission to the Dance World Cup organisation and by December they received confirmation that they had been accepted.
The all-inclusive dance establishment hopes to offer dance lessons to schools and nurseries in the local area with their outreach programme.
More than 600 students aged 12 months to 18 years come to the studio to dance for fun or work towards a professional career in dance and musical theatre.
Sophie’s pupils have performed at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and take part in local competitions in Stockport and Manchester.
Last year pupils danced their way to silver and bronze in the Dance World Cup in Telford.
Sophie said: “Dance has definitely boosted the students’ confidence and helps with the pressures of school and exams.
“They can leave all that behind and focus on what they enjoy doing and they say we are like a family and love the social aspect of the group.
“Many senior pupils have also successfully auditioned for full-time performing arts colleges.”
Full sponsors for the trip include; Club L London, Home Instead, Grey Stone Cottages, Were Handy, Classic Paving, Swizzles, Clear M2M, Church Stile Farm Cumbria, and Rimo Designs.
The headline sponsor Select Property generously sponsored the Team England kit for participants.
Donations were given to the dance institution to go towards their trip by many companies: Redrow Homes, Dalriada Trustees, Every Friday Studio, Not Just Travel, Bakehouse 32 and Apadmi.