Dancers from Falkirk district dance schools head to Portugal for the Dance World Cup 2023

Members of both McKechnie School of Dance and Performing Arts in Grangemouth and Stenhouse School of Dance in Falkirk are set to represent Team Scotland at the highly anticipated Dance World Cup in Braga, Portugal this July.

Thirty-three dancers from the McKechnie school are heading to the competition alongside six from the Stenhouse school.

The competition, which takes place from June 30 to July 8, will feature thousands of competitors from 50 different countries and is widely regarded as the best all-genre dance competition in the world for children and young adults.

Last year, dancers from McKechnie School of Dance accounted for a quarter of the Scottish team that proudly represented their country at the Dance World Cup in San Sebastian, Spain. Over ten days of competition, the young dancers from Grangemouth and Falkirk left a mark on the global stage with their commitment and abilities resulting in 11 world championship titles. They also brought home a haul of 98 gold medals, 66 silvers and 112 bronze medals.

These accolades, combined with numerous top six placings, propelled Scotland to fourth place overall out of 62 competing nations.

Nadine McKenzie Judge, who was recently awarded an MBE for services to dance in the King’s Birthday Honours, said: “The remarkable achievements of the McKechnie School of Dance and its dedicated students deserve recognition as they showcase the immense talent and unwavering dedication of our local youngsters. Grangemouth and Falkirk have proven to be nurturing grounds for some of Scotland’s finest and most accomplished dancers, placing them among the best in the world. As the dancers from the school prepare to take the stage at Dance World Cup 2023 in Braga, we eagerly anticipate witnessing their extraordinary performances and applaud their remarkable achievements thus far.”

It may be a small team from Stenhouse School of Dance heading to the finals, but they have been working hard and are looking forward to the competition.

Lesley Hendry said: “Team Stenhouse are excited to be representing Scotland in Braga for this year’s Dance World Cup. Team Stenhouse 2023 are Alexa Hope (16), Millie Bentall (11),Laura Hendry (11), Anna Hendry (9) Cianna Bentall (8) and Ella Wallace (6) under the direction of principal, Lainie Bentall. We wish this year’s #teamstenhouse every success as they represent their country in Portugal.”