Divis dance crew bidding for BGT success
Young hip hop dancers from west Belfast are hoping to put Divis in the spotlight for all the right reasons, after auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent.
The Urban Funk Dance Crew, led by teacher Christina Gourley, impressed the show’s producers a few weeks ago - but won’t find out if they have made the series until February.
They already have some seriously impressive silverware in their trophy haul though.
But, almost more importantly, the dance classes have sparked a passion in those involved – getting them off the streets and giving them something positive to focus on.
And the young dancers really put their hearts and souls into what they do, making their teacher very proud indeed.
Christina has been dancing since she was a child and came up with the idea of starting her own dance school when she was just 15.
Fifteen years on, the crew is just like family.
“They’re all like my babies,” Christina laughed.
“It’s amazing to see the passion that they have – the dedication, commitment. They’re just incredible.”
The feeling seems mutual, with many of her young students telling UTV Life how much they love dancing and their teacher.
Some have even been inspired to follow in her footsteps and aim to be dance teachers themselves one day.
Christina loves that dancing has given her crew a safe haven in an area that has had its share of problems, and that it has also opened up opportunities for them – travelling around the world.
As well as winning championships, some of her dancers have previously performed for the judges of Sky1 series Got To Dance – actor and dancer Adam Garcia, former Pussycat Dolls star Kimberly Wyatt and Diversity choreographer Ashley Banjo.
Now, as well as competitions across Europe and in the US, they have Simon Cowell’s BGT in their sights.
There are challenges to overcome though – from fundraising to enter competitions and travel to them, to dealing with some of the tougher aspects of the area in which they live.
A dad of one of the girls recently had someone try to hijack his car as he waited to pick his daughter up from the dance school.
“There is a lot of good in the area, but you do have that very few that bring the area down,” Christina said.
“Some of my dancers would walk into that. They see that happening and they’re afraid.
“They’re just looking at those people and thinking: ‘I don’t want to be like that. I want to be better. I want to be something else.’”
The talented dance crew loved teaching reporter Rita Fitzgerald a few moves for their appearance on UTV Life, but watch this space – they may be back on TV screens before too long!