Daventry students join more than 150 UK talented dancers to perform in US

Students from Daventry joined more than 150 talented UK dancers who have been given the opportunity to perform live in Miami Gardens, Florida, US.

The UK dancers are set to perform at the Hard Rock Stadium, the home field of the Miami Dolphins football team, alongside the official Dolphins Cheerleaders, in front of a crowd of 63,000 spectators and 20 million viewers on television.

This initiative has been pioneered by Pro-Excel, a Manchester-based organisation bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds to create social change through dance and sport. The programme empowers students to succeed through their hard work and abilities.

The company uses the prestige and influence of elite professional sports to provide opportunities for youth engagement.

Liam O’Reilly, founder of Pro-Excel, said: “There are so many pressures on our young people today, from social media, world news, climate change, and the unprecedented impact of Covid on their emotional and social development.

“At Pro-Excel, we believe that sport has the power to change the world and the power to inspire, so we decided to build on all our incredible achievements to date and harness the platform of sport to engage young people in a way that’s never been done before.”

Last week, 52 students from three different schools gathered at the E-Act Parker Academy in Ashby Road, Daventry, to rehearse for next month’s performance.

Following several months of dedicated hard work and training, 157 students, aged 14 to 22, from schools across the UK, are set to depart from Heathrow Airport on December 8 and spend five days in Miami, Florida, where they can showcase their talents in front of millions of people.

Liam said: “Pro-Excel’s Dance Miami 23 has been a huge operational and logistical undertaking for our team. Now the hard work becomes reality, and seeing the faces, drive, and enthusiasm of our students in rehearsals is incredibly inspiring.

“This project is about empowering young people to realise how special and talented they really are.”

The trip to Miami is scheduled to feature a VIP beach party with a local DJ, a hard rock stadium tour, a rigorous practice schedule, and a formal red-carpet dinner the night before the show.

Two game-day performances at Hard Rock Stadium will mark the conclusion of the journey, which was organised in collaboration with the Miami Dolphins professional American football team.

The UK students' live performances are set to take place before the game and at halftime, alongside the official Dolphins Cheerleaders, in front of a live audience of 63,000, as well as a 20 million television viewers.