Dancers around Britain are being urged to showcase their talents in a national competition, which welcomes all styles of dance, as it celebrates the UKs most diverse dance talents. Launched by a former heart patient, the UK Dance Elite Championship, will raise money for national charity, Heart Research UK, as well as offering the overall winner a life-changing prize. This consists of £5,000 prize money, a dancing scholarship which includes masterclasses and agency showcases in Hollywood, California.
Last years entrants include Britains’ Got Talent finalists Jack Higgins and Balance Unity who were scouted at the finals by the BAFTA award winning TV show.
The competition is the brainchild of 34-year-old Anthony Mitchell, founder of UK Dance Elite Championship, who suffered a serious heart infection when he was 26-years-old. As a result, the former dance teacher had to have surgery to replace one of his aortic valves.
Anthony is now calling on dancers of all styles, both professional and amature including those professionally taught or self-taught, to enter the competition by uploading a video of one of their dance routines to www.ukdanceelitechampionship.com. A diverse panel of top dance judges will then assess all the entried and invite successful dancers to take part in the live regional auditions. Dancers don’t have long to enter, as the online auditions close on June 29.
The regional auditions will be held around the UK throughout July. The top performers will then be invited to perform at the semi-final on Sunday 4 September. The judges will then choose 40 dance acts to perform at the grand final, held on October 9 at the Broadway Theatre, Catford, London.
Judges will include Natalie Lowe from “Strictly Come Dancing”; Matt Flint, the winner of “So You Think You Can Dance”; Lisa Welham, former Contemporary choreographer for So You think You Can Dance”; and top choreographer for Film, TV & Theatre, Richard Marcel. Dancers can enter their online audition here: www.ukdanceelitechampionship.com
Heart Research UK will benefit from a percentage of the ticket sales. The audience will also be encouraged to support the charity to continue its medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease by making a text donation or giving to a bucket collection.
The charity also encourages healthy lifestyles, and dance is a good form of aerobic exercise to get the heart beating. “A lot of young people only ever associate heart problems with older people. I was in my twenties and fit from dancing, I could never have predicted what happened to me,” said Anthony. “I went from being ill at the beginning of the year to sky diving, bungee jumping and travelling the world at the end.” said Anthony.
Heart Research UK national director, Barbara Harpham said: “It’s great that people have the opportunity to take part in a national competition that gives them inspiration and enjoyment as well as getting their heart beating. We wish everybody good luck in their auditions and hope that the UK Dance Elite Championship inspire many people to consider dancing as a way to keep fit, it’s good for exercising the heart.”
