Gillotts Students Win World Street Dance Championships
Gillotts Students, Rupert Haynes and Ethan Bentley were part of the winning dance crew at the GDO (Global Dance Organisation) World Championships.
They performed with a crew of 10 from their street dance company, Urban Stylez in Reading at the K2 Centre in Crawley to a mash-up of songs that included funky and hip-hop style music.
There were 8 crews in the boys U12 category at the Worlds. Ethan said, “Our routine was the best we had ever done it. Rupert added, “Everyone gave 110%.” The boys said that the tension when the results were being announced was tense especially when they got to second place. On hearing their name, Ethan said, “It felt well deserved, we ran to the stage, cheering, and hugged each other. Our dance teacher Jenna was so proud of us.” Rupert added, “I was very happy and thought all the hard work had paid off.” Both their Mums were there to see them win their first Worlds.
The two friends have been going to Urban Stylez for about 4-5 years. Ethan said, “When we were at Valley Road School there was a kid in the year below going and we thought we would try it out and we like it a lot. I love the feeling of dancing, it makes me happy.”
To qualify for the World Championships, the crew competed in a number of British Dance Organisation competitions and won a number of these. The pair also competed in solos, duos and quads at the Worlds.
What is the hardest thing to learn in street dance? Rupert replied, “The hardest thing to learn is popping but it depends on what type of song it is. If it is a fast beat it turns into vibrating which is more of a challenge.”
Rupert and Ethan now train twice a week in Reading but during Covid they were rehearsing for the Worlds via Zoom online. They performed for the first time at the Henley Youth Festival in 2019 when they choreographed the routine themselves.
What’s next for the boys? They will start rehearsing a new routine for the Worlds next year and they plan to enter the Henley Youth Festival next March.
