Willenhall dancers ready for World Cup challenge in Telford
A dance school that has been running for less than three years is celebrating after being selected to compete in a prestigious international competition.
Thirty dancers from Repertoire Dance and Performing Arts School will participate in the Dance World Cup in Telford in August in four groups, a quartet and three troops.
Principals Chloe Lloyd, 22, and Laura Broomhall, 33, are “surprised and delighted” that the school, which runs from Willenhall Chart Centre in Gomer Street, has been selected.
“We feel honoured and are really excited,” said Chloe. “The school started less than three years ago, we are still very new, but that has not stopped us."
Chloe explained that its students were due to perform at Disneyland Paris this August but that was cancelled because of Covid.
“We applied to the competition on a whim sending off videos of four routines and did not think we would hear back,” said Chloe. “Two days later we received an email to say we had got through with all four. I could not believe it – the standard is so high. It’s not that we don’t believe in our kids, but being new you expect to have to work your way up.”
At the Dance World Cup one quartet will perform an acrobatic routine and three troops will perform mixed styles of dance. Chloe said that because of the Covid pandemic, the school has been giving lessons over Zoom throughout lockdown, students have taken examinations remotely and they have won more than 100 medals in online competition.
She said the opportunity now to compete in the presence of other dancers has proved to be “a real pick-me-up”
“After Covid this was just what we needed,” she said. “The kids are over the moon.”
After learning the school had been chosen to compete last month it had to find £4,500 to enter.
Chloe wished to pay tribute to the community for rallying to raise the money.
“We fundraised £7,000 in five days,” she said. “It was £4,500 to enter the competition – to smash the target was amazing.
“A huge thank you to the local businesses that supported us and everyone who contributed. It really brought our dance family together.”
The Dance World Cup will be held at the Telford International Centre from August 9. Teams from countries that are not able to travel because of restrictions will compete via video link.
