Street dancers from Helensburgh set to take on the world

Thirty pupils from Urbaniks Street Skool of Dance, based in Balloch, will head to the bright lights of Blackpool for the start of the 2019 United Dance Organisation (UDO) World Street Dance Championships on Thursday, August 22.

Pauline Joseph runs the school - and another in Milngavie - with husband Paul, and the pair are eager for a strong finish to a successful season so far.

Pauline said: “We’ve got 30 dancers who are part of our competitive scene, they come from Helensburgh, Dumbarton, Balloch and Milngavie and train regularly.

“The scene is really difficult and gets harder every year, so you’ve just got to keep up with it. It’s very fierce.

“It’s not a given to qualify for the World Championships but this year is our seventh consecutive year, so it’s good to know that we are still very much a part of it.

“It would be lovely to come back from Blackpool with a good couple of trophies but there’s a reality check because it is the World Championships.

“I’m not expecting first places because we know how tough it is but first and foremost we want to embrace it and enjoy it.

“Two years ago we had teams who were first and that’s the dream and what we will aspire to.

“The sheer buzz that gives you is an amazing thing for the whole school. There are thousands of other people competing against us from all over the world.

“It’s literally us against the rest of the world.”

The two teams competing for Urbaniks - the Hoodlumz under-14s and the Honey's under-18s – came in second place at the 2018 World Championships and have several titles under their belt this year including Central Scotland Champions, Scottish Champions, British Champions and Six Nations Champions, taking the coveted title of Champion of Champions at the Six Nations event.

Pauline, 48, was a professional performer herself and says it is a great honour to see her students competing at the top level.

She said: “We take both sides of the business very seriously. We have 200-250 pupils every week between both schools and dancing is a complete love for us.

“We love teaching elite dancers but also getting people in where dancing is just a hobby for them. It’s very much a nice thing for us to get new pupils and see them develop and watch their confidence grow.

“People come to us and feel a part of our family. We’ve been doing it for more than 15 years and we bring a wealth of knowledge in what we do.

“Paul is from Yorkshire and we met when I was 17 and went to the same dance school.

“We have been professional performers and we feel enriched by turning what we have learned and our experiences into training for our young pupils.”

The couple have four children - Honey, 20; Niyah, 18; Loxi, 12, and Tio-Rayne, 11 - and dancing is a family affair with three of the youngsters heavily involved with the school.

Pauline said it is pleasing to see how the discipline has developed over the years and the opportunities it now provides for young people, including her own children.

She added: “I’ve been dancing since I was three, but I never grew up thinking I wanted to be a dancer.

“Pop videos were only really just starting in the 80s with Michael Jackson and Madonna.

“You couldn’t say “I want to be one of them” back then.

“I didn’t quite believe I could do that for a living and it wasn’t until I was about 16 or 17 that I realised that if I left home and went to London it could happen.

“Nowadays there are much more carved out pathways for kids. They can come straight out of school and audition for a college in their own city. They see more dance, it’s on television 24/7 and part of modern culture, in video games and movies. We didn’t have that in my day.

“I took a big leap of faith to follow my passion and now the next generation coming through have a better chance of making it. It’s nice to see that it’s bigger now.”

The Balloch school is holding an enrolment open day on Friday, August 16. For more information call Pauline on 07780992295.