“It was an incredibly emotional experience,” said a Co Armagh dance tutor who’s small troupe soared to fourth in the world at the Dance World Cup.

The Dance World Cup is one of the largest and most prestigious dance competitions in the world with more than 11,000 dancers from across the globe taking part.

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4th Place in the World – Children’s Small Group Street Dance (10–12 years) Eimilie Thornton, Caoimhe Carr, Olivia Perry, Ameila Nugent, Elena Mc Alinden and Freya Ramsey.

placeholder image — 4th Place in the World – Children’s Small Group Street Dance (10–12 years) Eimilie Thornton, Caoimhe Carr, Olivia Perry, Ameila Nugent, Elena Mc Alinden and Freya Ramsey.

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Dancers from Claire McMahon’s school, Miss Mac Dance Studio in Lurgan, qualified to represent Ireland in April this year – no mean feat considering they had to finish within the top three in their category to qualify for the World Finals.

Claire described it as ‘an incredible achievement’ simply to qualify and compete on the world stage.

“We were incredibly proud that our dancers successfully qualified to represent Team Ireland at the Dance World Cup Finals in Dublin, where they competed against some of the best young dancers in the world,” she said.

Achieving 19th Place in the World – Junior Small Group Street Dance (12–14 years) category at the Dance World Cup are Amelia Nugent , Lacey Austin , Jessica Hilary , Saoirse Fitsimmons , Corry Leigh Mc Gibbon and Brooke Smyth.

“The Dance World Cup took place over approximately two weeks, with our dancers competing in different categories on different days throughout the same international competition.”

The final World Cup results were:

4th Place in the World – Children’s Small Group Street Dance (10–12 years)
19th Place in the World – Children’s Solo Street Dance (10–12 years)
19th Place in the World – Junior Small Group Street Dance (12–14 years)

"To finish 4th in the world, narrowly missing out on a medal, alongside achieving two further top-20 world placings, is something our dancers, their families and our entire community are immensely proud of,” said Claire.

19th Place in the World – Children’s Solo Street Dance (10–12 years) - Freya Ramsey from Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Miss Mac Dance Studio was established in 1997 and has continued teaching from then to the present day. Over almost three decades, the school has taught thousands of children across Northern Ireland and England.

Claire ran a dance school in England for six years and regularly travels throughout the UK teaching workshops and adjudicating at dance competitions.

After returning home to Northern Ireland, Miss Mac Dance Studio continued to grow and, in 2015, found its permanent home at 5 Moores Lane, Lurgan.

"The studio remains proudly based there today, providing a welcoming, inclusive and cross-community environment where children from all backgrounds can learn, grow and thrive through dance,” she said.

"This was our studio’s first ever Dance World Cup, which makes these achievements even more special. To qualify for one of the world’s biggest dance competitions and return home with these results is something we could only have dreamed of,” said Claire.

"The dancers trained tirelessly for months while balancing school, homework and family life. Every one of them represented Team Ireland, Lurgan and Miss Mac Dance Studio with incredible professionalism, determination and sportsmanship.

"As their teacher, watching them perform on the world stage was an incredibly emotional experience. I couldn’t be prouder of every single one of them. Their commitment, resilience and teamwork have shown that children from a local dance school in Lurgan can compete alongside the very best dancers in the world.

"I hope their success inspires other young people to dream big, work hard and believe that extraordinary things are possible,” said Claire.