'We're extremely proud': Banbury dance academy celebrates winning 17 Medals at prestigious international competition
The elite dancing team at Banbury’s The School For Stars dance academy have once again returned from the prestigious Dance World Cup with an impressive medal haul.
In total, 22 dancers from the Tee Lily Dance Company, which operates as part of The School For Stars, represented England at this year's competition.
The dancers, aged between six and 16, travelled to Dublin to compete against 11,500 of some of the world's top dancers from 63 countries at the event, which ran from Wednesday, July 8, to Saturday, July 18.
The Banbury team arrived with high hopes after winning five medals at last year's competition.
However, even they could not have predicted this year's remarkable success, with the club cementing its reputation as one of England's leading dance academies.
Head dance teacher Tee Lily said: “The team did brilliantly. To come home with 17 medals from 26 routines, especially at a competition with around 11,500 dancers taking part, is something we're all extremely proud of.
“We never expected to do this well. All the children are based in the Banbury area and train with us every week alongside school. It is an incredible honour to teach them.
“In total, we took 26 routines covering jazz, show dance, acro and lyrical. We also competed with solos, duets and group dances, so there was a real variety of performances.”
The medal haul included nine golds, two silvers and six bronzes, while six other of Tee Lily's dancers also finished in the top 10 of their categories.
The dancers spent months preparing for the event, with rehearsals helping them perfect their routines before taking to the international stage.
Tee Lily said The School For Stars' success at the annual Dance World Cup is attracting attention across the dance world, with children now travelling from as far as Birmingham and London to train at the Banbury academy.
Preparations have already begun for next year's Dance World Cup, which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal.
As part of the preparations, the academy is offering scholarships to selected pupils to help parents cover the cost of classes and competitions.
For more information about The School For Stars, visit: https://www.facebook.com/www.juliebruce.co.uk/?locale=en_GB