Iconic Street Dance, Coleraine will be competing in the nation’s biggest touring dance competition in January

There was tremendous excitement when the dance crew from Iconic Street Dance, Coleraine booked their place in the prestigious finals of Dance Inspirations UK and Ireland National Dance Competition.

The group, the youngest is 12-years old and the oldest 19, received a Britain's Got Talent-style golden buzzer at the regional heats at Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn to send them straight to the National finals in Blackpool on January 26 to Sunday 28, 2024.

What is even more remarkable is this was the first competition the group had entered.

Head coach Sydney Rosier explained: “Everyone is so excited about the finals. The Dance Inspirations competition is different from others because of the golden buzzer.

So, everyone's waiting around all day for the golden buzzer to go off and then our crew performed and as soon as that ended, the judges hit the Golden Buzzer. That meant that they won the best, most entertaining act of the day. The golden buzzer meant that they were automatically through to the Blackpool finals.

“When the judges hit the golden buzzer it was crazy. The whole room exploded and we were so surprised because we weren't expecting it. We were only going into the competition to have a fun day out because this was our first ever competition season. We hadn't competed before so we just weren't expecting anything major like this to happen. The crew really deserved it, they just worked so hard and I'm so glad that they got the outcome that they deserved.”

Not only did Iconic book their place in the grand final, they took first place with their teen hip-hop group, third place in the teen lyrical/contemporary duo/trio category, they had the highest scoring group routine of the entire day and they won the entertainment award.

Having tasted success on a regional level, Sydney and the crew are keen to impress when they get to Blackpool to compete against the best from across the UK.

“We do follow the heats to see who has made it through to the final. We would also watch other companies on Facebook or Instagram to see what they are up to and what we will be up against.”

This talented crew trained for eight months in preparation for the regional heats and already they are honing their skills for the finals.

“For the finals we're not allowed to change anything that we did to get the golden buzzer, the routine has to stay the same,” said Sydney, who prepares the music and choreographs all routines. “It's just about cleaning up even more and getting even more perfect.”

The Iconic Street Dance crew have been in demand recently performing at a number of events across the North coast.

“We performed at the Strictly Come Dancing Community Rescue service fundraiser, at an event in the Lodge Hotel and more recently at the Rathlin Maritime Festival in Ballycastle so we are busy but it’s really exciting.

“It’s just so rewarding for everyone involved because they put so much time and effort into dance every week, they're so dedicated and now it's all paying off.”

Iconic Street Dance runs classes in street and lyrical dance for all ages.

“We start from really young and we actually take some older two year olds although it’s usually three but if they're old enough to be left alone, then we're happy enough,” added Sydney who has been Head Coach for five years.

“If anyone thinks that their kid would be really into dance they should get in touch with us via Facebook Messenger or Instagram. We're always wanting to expand so all ages and abilities are welcome. You don't have to have any experience, we're happy to take on anyone.”

Having moved into new premises due to the demand for classes, Iconic Street Dance is going from strength to strength and with the talents and dedication of its young dancers there is no doubt there will be plenty more success to come.

Iconic Street Dance, Unit 33, Sperrin Business Park, Coleraine. Tel: 07902 593315. Email: [email protected] or visit: iconicstreetdance.com

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