At each of our regional competitions our judges will scout out exciting young dancers who will be given the opportunity to learn and perform the opening number to our International Showdown Final. The number will be choreographed by our judges an performed at our International final.
I am Zoe Kirkpatrick-Brown, 9 years old and I have been dancing since I was 2, although I only started competing when I joined Dance Elite Studio 3 years ago.
I was so excited to be selected as a Dance Idol in Edinburgh and can’t wait to perform at the opening ceremony in May.
I absolutely love dancing and spend 6 days a week in the studio with my best friends and amazing coaches.
My name is Will Chester and I train at WestSide Performing Arts Dublin Ireland, on their Pre Professional Program and Competitive Team. I am honoured to be a Dance Idol this year along with winning Senior Mr Destination Dance title Dublin! As my first year of Competitive Dance, Destination Dance has been a great experience. Having won the Dance Off Scholarship to Bird College Summer School in Dublin, I’d like to thank all at Destination Dance and WestSide for these fantastic opportunities.
My name is Rae Hamill, I am 9 years old and have been dancing with Dance Elite Studios in Cambuslang, Glasgow for 5 years. I spend 5-6 days a week in the studio practicing and I love every minute of it, learning new skills, routines and making lots of friends along the way both in my own dance school and also dancers from other schools I get to know when we meet at competitions.
I train in lyrical, commercial, jazz and acro and this summer I will be fortunate enough to compete in some of these styles when I represent Team Scotland at the DWC in Portugal.
I am delighted to have been selected as a Dance Idol and I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to perform in the opening ceremony of Destination Dance International Finals.
Hello, my name is Niamh Kehoe, I’m 19 years old and I dance with Studio Wolfe in Ireland. I’m delighted to have been chosen as a dance idol and look forward to the finals in May. I have been privileged enough to be chosen to represent Team Ireland as a soloist this summer at the Dance World Cup.
Hi my name is Molly Parfect and i’m 17 years old. I train at MV Academy for around 15 hours a week in all styles but my favourite is jazz!
I absolutely love competing and I am so grateful to be chosen as a destination dance idol, I can’t wait for the finals!
My name is Maria Harvey and I train at WestSide Performing Arts Dublin Ireland, on their Pre Professional Program and Competitive Team. I am grateful to be returning as a Destination Dance Idol again this year after a fantastic year last year in London! I’d like to thank everyone at Destination and WestSide for believing in me and helping me reach my full potential!
Mafalda Gonçalves enjoys dancing, spending time with family and friends, going to the beach and the excellent Algarve sunshine!
My name is Lily Gow, and I am 13 years old, I have trained at Dance Elite Studio in Glasgow since I was 5 years old. The dance studio is my happy place and I spend all my spare time here, my favourite type of dance is contemporary. I am delighted to be chosen as a Destination Dance Idol and I’m so excited to be given this chance to perform at the international finals along with all the other Idols.
My name is Lauren Ballinger and I’m 14 years old. I have been training at The Sarah Burnell School of Dance since the age of 2. I am very passionate about dancing and love all disciplines. I currently train in Modern, Ballet, Jazz Technique with my favourite genre being Tap. I am currently an associate member of Tap Attack. I attend a number of Dance Competitions including being selected as a Dance World Cup soloist in 2018, 2020 and 2021. Last summer I performed at the All England Dance Finals where I was fortunate enough to win a silver medal in the senior contemporary group. I am super excited to be selected as a Destination Dance Idol and cannot wait to perform in the final!
My name is Killian Gormley and I train at WestSide Performing Arts Dublin Ireland, on their Pre Professional Program and Competitive Team. I am thrilled to be a Dance Idol this year and returning to the Destination Stage after a fantastic year last year as International Champions 2022. I am also looking forward to attending Bird College this Summer after winning the Dance Off Scholarship, thank you to everyone for these memories to last a lifetime!
