An Aberdeen dance studio is celebrating after becoming the first team qualifiers from the Granite City to represent Scotland at the Dance World Cup.
Performers from Step Up Dance Studios have qualified for a number of categories for the World Finals, which takes place between June 30 and July 8 next year in the Portuguese city of Braga.
Among the performers earning their place at the event is young Pixie-Blossom Watson, who at just three years old will be the youngest in the tournament.
About 120,000 children from four to 25 years old compete to earn their place at the Dance World Cup every year.
The Palmerston Road dancing school was set up in 2016 and its owner and dance teacher, Kerry Watson said it is normally “the best of the best” that qualify for the championships.
However, the studios decided to enter because they thought they would “just give it a bash”.
Tough competition to earn place at Dance World Cup
Competing for just three places in different dances to represent Scotland, the qualification stage involved sending in a video of the dancers, with the tap category alone having over 500 entrants from across the country.
Competing against outfits from Edinburgh and Glasgow, Miss Watson said: “Scotland are quite a big team, so it’s hard to get in, because it’s been running for a lot of years. So those that normally get picked automatically get to go, so the spaces are very limited.”
And despite not expecting to qualify, the Aberdeen competitors qualified for nine group dances, five duets and trios and two solos.
Out of the 22 dancers that qualified, 19 will be going to represent Scotland at next summer’s Dance World Cup.
‘We’re only a small dance school from Aberdeen’
However, it will not be cheap, with it costing around £2,000 for each individual to travel there and including accommodation and other expenses.
“They’ll need sponsors to make it even possible, but we’re hoping that some kind people sponsor things,” Miss Watson said.
As well as looking for sponsors, the group will fundraise to be able to go to the tournament.
However, regardless of whether they qualified or not, fundraising is a vital way of raising money for shows, while they also put on a charity performance each year.
Miss Watson added: “We’re only a small dance school from Aberdeen and we’re the first dance school to ever qualify as a team, I’m still in shock if I’m being honest.
“I know we’ve qualified and I know we’ll go, we’ll somehow work it out and we’ll go, but we do need some help. So fingers crossed the kindness of Aberdeen shines through in the new year.”
Conversation