Walsall dance school brings home trophies after representing England
Pupils from a dance school in Walsall have enjoyed a trophy-laden trip after representing England in an international competition.
A group of six dancers from Darian's Dance School flew to Palanga in Lithuania at the end of May to compete in the 21st World Championship, which is organised by the International Dance Federation.
The trip was a success for the youngsters who travelled home with 10 trophies after placing between first and third place in various categories including street dance solo, street couple and street team.
The group, which was formed of dancers aged between six and nine, competed against around 16 countries from around the world, playing their part in England securing sixth place in the competition overall.
Dariana Ponomarova, who owns Darian's Dance School, said she was proud of her pupil's achievements.
The 36-year-old continued: "It was really exciting, all of the England teams travelled together, we had a special check-in at the airport and then had a big parade on arrival in Palanga which was on Lithuanian television as well.
"The (children) were literally crying, you can't even explain it, especially the fact that when you get to first place you get to hear the national anthem and everything – it was overwhelming for some of the kids.
"I'm so proud of them because they are so young and they performed like much older, professional dancers which makes me very proud."
Dariana, who started professional dancing at the age of six, also runs dance studios in the Czech Republic and Ukraine, where she was born.
She said she is hoping that her students will compete in the competition again next year, and is already looking for sponsors to help make this happen.
