A total of 462 dancers from across the island recently took part in the ‘Isle Dance’ two-day competition at two island venues.

The first Isle Dance competition took place in July last year, with the latest contest introducing the new dance category ‘lyrical and contemporary’ alongside ‘cheer and hip hop’.

The first-ever lyrical and contemporary dance competition took place at Ballakermeen Studio Theatre on the first day, with five dance schools participating.

Students had the chance to perform their set routines individually, as well as showcasing their own choreography on stage.

The following day saw the island’s second cheer-dance and hip hop competition at The Roundhouse in Braddan.

This event attracted more than 700 attendees throughout the day from eight island dance schools, with solos, duets and own-choreography routines.

A ‘duo’ section was also held in the middle of the day, allowing parents, grandparents, siblings and family friends to join in and compete.

Each duo made a donation to take part, with the funds going to the nominated charity ‘A Little Piece of Hope’.

‘Move It’ dance studio matched the donations, while Isle Dance also made a contribution.

Talking about the weekend’s activities, Charlotte Scarffe, the founder of Isle Dance, commented: ‘Based on feedback from teachers and competitors, we decided to introduce the new lyrical and contemporary dance style to offer more opportunities for local children to compete in a supportive and competitive environment.

‘The competition at Ballakermeen on the first day was judged by Pippa Salter and her assistant Emily, who were impressed by the high level of talent and commented that the standard made their judging decisions particularly challenging.

‘Perry O'Dea, who is known for performing on the West End, joined us as a judge on the second day at The Roundhouse, and was impressed by the competition’s high standard.

‘Isle Dance plans to continue hosting competitions for children from ages three and upwards, and we are already looking forward to our next competition weekend on July 12 and 13, which will be held once again at The Roundhouse.

‘We would like to extend their thanks to all the dance schools who have so far supported the competition, The Roundhouse, Caffee Roundhouse, Ballakermeen High School, St Ninian’s High School, Little Big Balloons, the judges Pippa, Emily and Perry and all of our Isle Dance helpers and volunteers.’

The dance schools that took part in the competition included CNDC, Dynamic Dance Centre, Fusion Dance Studio, Gena’s Dance Academy, Just Dance, Just Dance South, Moonlight, Move It, Step In Time and Theatrix.

Move It achieved 20 first-place finishes during the cheer and hip hop competition, with a spokesperson from the dance group saying: ‘What an unbelievable day!

‘Our Phoenix Rising crew absolutely smashed it on the floor, bringing the energy, passion, and fire in both hip hop and cheer!

‘We couldn’t be prouder of every single one of our 53 dancers, ranging from ages three to adults.

‘The hard work, dedication, and team spirit was lovely to see throughout the day.’