A talented all-girl street dance group from Rotherham is preparing to take centre stage on an international level after being chosen to represent England at this year’s Dance World Cup in Dublin.
Rascalz, made up of nine dancers aged between nine and eleven, will travel to Ireland in July to compete in one of the world’s largest and most prestigious youth dance competitions.
The girls, who all train at NovaCity in Rotherham, secured their place on Team England earlier this year after impressing at the regional qualifiers with an outstanding video audition.
The team’s routine combines confidence and sass with creative choreography designed to captivate audiences and impress international judges.
The Dance World Cup attracts thousands of young dancers from across the globe, bringing together performers aged four to 25 from more than 70 countries. There are around 120,000 dancers who apply, and these are whittled down to 9,000 finalists in solo, duo/trio and group categories across various genres from ballet and jazz to acro and commercial.
Rascalz will be competing in the small group street dance category on Thursday 9th July at the Convention Centre Dublin against other teams from countries likes Argentina, China and the US.
Ahead of the competition, their coach and choreographer, 24-year-old Grace Kitchen, says the dancers have shown remarkable commitment both inside and outside the studio.
“These girls have worked incredibly hard to reach this point,” Grace said. “To qualify to represent England is an achievement in itself and a dream come true, but they are determined to make the most of this opportunity and show the world what they can do. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”
For Rascalz, wearing the England colours is the culmination of years of hard work and countless hours spent perfecting their routines.
They have been performing together since 2021 when most of them were only five years old. They regularly compete at events across the country and earlier this year came third in Rotherham’s Got Talent.
The journey to Dublin is yet another opportunity for the young dancers to gain invaluable experience and create memories that will stay with them for years to come.
