Street dancers in Mablethorpe make waves at British competition

Students from Little Gems Academy of Performing Arts based at Mablethorpe Community Hall recently competed in the British Street Dance Championships that were held at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, where Strictly Come Dancing is filmed.

Principal of the school, Gemma Marshall took along 36 of her students, a number who also dance in Skegness to the national competition - and for some, it was their first time competing.

“All of my students did so well in the competition and I am so proud of them all,” Ms Marshall explained.

“For some it’s their first time in competition.

“To even reach a national contest is an achievement in itself, but to come back with a load of medals and trophies is the icing on the cake.”

Gemma also added, that it was an amazing achievement for dancers who come from such a small coastal resort when they competed against the best of the best from dance schools all across Britain.

Over 100 kids make up both schools in Mablethorpe and Skegness and they always come together at least once a week to prepare for competitions - as a lot of the time, students from the two groups will be joined together to compete.

Included in the medal awards haul was the Sugar Rush under-8s team, made up of Ellie-Mai Edwards, Anabel Bradshaw, Merissa Brocklebnak and Amielie Anderson, all from Mablethorpe, with Sunny-Rae Goddard from Boston, who came third in the country.

Team Impact,an advanced under-16s dance team, including Mablethorpe girl Isobelle Jenkinson came second in the country.

There were several other wins including additional team placings in the top four.

Plus there were duo and quartet dance teams all placing in the top six.

For more info about the dance school, search for Little Gems Academy on Facebook.