Two Blackpool dance crews gear up for top contest

Dancers from FY Wingz and Urban Dance Project impressed judges at the UDO regional street dancing competition at the Winter Gardens – and are now deep in preparation for world championships, which will be held in Glasgow this summer.

Samantha Bell,one of the founders of FY Wingz, said: “We’re just getting our heads down now, we need to start fund-raising for Glasgow.

“We’ll be competing against crews from Holland, Spain – the best in the world.

“Originally, I was a street dancer and I wanted to inspire the younger generation too.”

Twenty Fylde-based dancers competed in the regional heats, and 10 qualified for the world championship, including Louie Houghton and Casey Foster.

Casey, eight, is defending her title for the third year and Louie, nine, will be defending his title for the first time.

FY Wingz runs dance classes on Mondays and Fridays at The Oracle on St Annes Road with ages ranging from four to 30. Also among its members is nine-year-old Haiden Corcoran, who featured on the front page of The Gazette earlier this week.

He has been a member for five years and is preparing for his final dance performance, because he suffers from a rare genetic condition inherited from his mum Julie, which means his joints are becoming weaker.

The 10th annual World Championships at the SECC Venue in Glasgow will take place in August.

Three dance crews from Urban Dance Project (UDP) also stormed through to the championships.

Urban Dodgers, a group of novice 10-year-old dancers; Urbanize, a group of under 18 British champions; and Urbanization, a group of under 18 intermediate dancers, were all successful in strutting their stuff on the Winter Gardens stage.

Michelle Ramsey, one of the founders of UDP, said: “I am really proud, the group is going from strength to strength.”