Budding dancers from Market Harborough prepare to leap onto the world stage

Two budding dancers from Harborough are preparing to represent England on the world stage.

Robert Smyth Academy pupils Skyla Fisher and Grace Burrows are heading to Portugal at the end of this month, for the Dance World Cup. The 2023 finals occur in Braga, Portugal, from June 30 to July 8. Dancers from over 60 countries have been chosen from 120,000 auditions to make the final 6,000.

Both girls train at the Jordon School of Dance in Birmingham, which sees them travelling over an hour and a half each way before they even start their training sessions with the rest of the team - often putting in more than 20 hours of practice a week.

Skyla, aged 12, said: "I'm so excited to be going to Portugal. It's been brilliant to work towards these finals after qualifying late last year for several groups and a classical ballet duet with my dance partner Joey. The training's hard work, but I'm hoping it will all be worth it, and we'll have a chance of placing highly."

For 16-year-old Grace, the final will be her fourth time competing, previously winning two World Titles.

She said: "I'm still going to be nervous walking onto those stages with massive audiences. That's the point where the hours of training really show. Every minute we've spent dancing, and perfecting our routines, makes the difference between being good or being in a medal position after the final dance."

As well as participating in the group dances, Grace has qualified for three solo performances - so the pressure will be on.

On top of the training, Grace has been taking her GCSEs and auditioning for full-time dance schools all over the UK. She has been offered a full scholarship at Laine Theatre Arts to start in September.

Dan Cleary, headteacher at Robert Smyth Academy, added: "We're delighted to see two of our pupils representing England at an elite level. Their work ethic and commitment have made a difference in getting them both to Portugal.

“We wish them and the rest of the team the best of luck and will follow their progress closely."