Teen with all the winning moves

Photo: Tim Bradley

IN full flow . . . talented dancer Courtney Burns

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A TEENAGE dancer who whirled her way through dozens of competitions has won the opportunity to represent the region for the third time running.

Courtney Burns (16), from Alt, will again compete at Blackpool's Winter Gardens after winning a solo title in the qualifiers for three consecutive years.

The Pure Dance Academy pupil, who began freestyle dancing when she was eight, has also been nominated for a prestigious scholarship.

Courtney said: "I'm very happy about my latest win. I feel so proud of my achievements. All my hard work does pay off.

"I'm looking forward to going back to Winter Gardens in November. It's an amazing place to dance and I love being with all my dance friends cheering each other on round after round."

The talented teen, who dances an intensive 15 hours each week, came away from last year's International Dance Teachers Association finals at the Winter Gardens holding the national title for both the solo and pairs 14 to 17s categories.

Now she has the opportunity to retain her title after wowing judges with her freestyle footwork, gymnastics tricks and technique at the 2017 qualifiers in Prestwich on June 18.

Courtney was one of 35 students at Pure Dance who competed in the Rock 'n' Roll North-West competition.

The school came home with 17 North-West titles after students competed across solo, pairs, slow dance and team categories.

Achievement

Principal teacher Rebecca Jarvis said: "This is a massive achievement for all the local dancers who work hard all year round."

Courtney is also celebrating a successful nomination for an International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) scholarship in 2018.

Of more than 5,000 applicants, she has been whittled down to the final 100 contestants who go forward to audition.

Mum Natalie Burns said: "We are very proud of her achievements. It is amazing for her to win the qualifiers three years running and being nominated for this scholarship."

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