Around 50 young dancers from a Fife dance school will swap Crosshill for the bright lights of Blackpool this weekend as they chase British glory on one of the UK’s biggest stages.
The Company School of Dance is sending 12 teams to the UDO British Dance Festival at the Winter Gardens, with competitors taking part in a hectic programme of events in street, commercial and lyrical over the course of the weekend. The event starts today (Friday), and will come to a close on Sunday, March 15.
Teacher and co‑owner Ashleigh Yule said: “It’s a full weekend of dancing and it’s very, very busy – but we’re all so excited to get down there and see the kids on that stage.”
The Crosshill school, which attracts youngsters from across Central Fife, will also be represented in parent and child sections – and an enthusiastic parent crew is heading south determined to defend the British title they already hold. Ashleigh said: “Our parents have been amazing. They come in every week to train and they put in just as much effort as the kids.”
Dancers as young as four will be competing alongside team‑mates up to the age of 20, with many stepping out in new styles for the first time. “Some of our kids are in the studio five or six days a week,” Ashleigh explained. “Their commitment and dedication has been incredible.”
Since returning after the Christmas break, the studio has been “non‑stop”, with extra training sessions, weekend rehearsals and late‑night run‑throughs to polish every routine. “Our whole teaching team has been working endlessly to make sure every single dancer is ready,” said Ashleigh. “It really has been a massive team effort.”
For Ashleigh, the reward for all those hours in the studio will come the moment the first routine hits the Winter Gardens stage in Blackpool. She said: “As a teacher, the best part is seeing the wee ones up there shining. It makes all the stress and hard work worth it.”
The festival also acts as a qualifier for the UDO European and World Street Dance Championships later this year, with the Crosshill school competing in the former last year.
With the current British champion parent crew aiming to defend their crown and a new generation of dancers experiencing the festival for the first time, The Company School of Dance will be hoping to bring a clutch of titles back to Crosshill when the music stops on Sunday night.
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