The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Aberdeen dancing contingent chosen to take part in London proms
They are only eight and 10 years old.
But you can see from the joy on their faces that Morven Aitkenhead from Aberdeen and Scott Milne from Peterculter have already developed a deep love for dancing.
These two are among a group of north-east youngsters, connected to Danscentre in Aberdeen, who will be travelling to take part in the UK Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London next weekend.
And, despite the increasingly high standards at this competition, the Granite City contingent have shown their own talent by being the only Scots selected for this year’s event.
Karen Berry, the principal at Danscentre, is understandably thrilled at the success of her young prodigies and proud of the number of boys who are interested in dancing.
She told The Press and Journal: “We’re really delighted to be part of the UK Dance Proms.
“This will be our fourth time performing at the Royal Albert Hall, and to be chosen to be part of this wealth of young talent is a testament to the hard work of our pupils and the quality of our teaching methods.
“There are just eight of our children involved in this year’s Proms, performing a piece called ‘You and Me’.
“This represents the journey of a friendship through childhood and beyond into young adulthood.
“Every couple performs duets which link to the next and though there is a huge amount of pressure and spotlight on them at such a young age, they are all really looking forward to it.
“Aberdeen really is a dance city and it’s terrific to see so many youngsters and so many boys coming to Danscentre.”
The group are doing a presentation of their piece in costume at the McRobert Hall at RGC on Thursday, October 27, before they depart for London.
“To be chosen to be part of this is a testament to the hard work of our pupils”