Almost a hundred local dancers are heading off to Prague in the Czech Republic later this month to go for gold at the Dance World Cup, kitted out with support from The Sarah Groves Foundation.
Team Guernsey, composed of 92 dancers aged between 6-18 from GATE and Starlight, aims to continue its tradition of excellence and bring home more medals, representing the whole island with pride. They will compete across various dance styles, including tap, ballet, jazz, song and dance, and lyrical.
The Sarah Groves Foundation has been a vital supporter of Team Guernsey, ensuring that young dancers from the island can compete on the international stage. In 2022, the Foundation stepped in last minute to provide crucial funding for the team’s kit, enabling 92 students to participate in the finals in San Sebastian, Spain, where Guernsey won gold in the Junior Large Group Song and Dance category.
Vic Groves, Managing Trustee of the Sarah Groves Foundation, said: “Supporting Team Guernsey is a wonderful way to honour Sarah’s legacy. Seeing these talented dancers bearing Sarah’s name on their shirts as they compete internationally is very touching.
“Sarah loved sport, and the Foundation’s core pillars – Children, Art, Fitness, and Adventure – are perfectly encapsulated by these talented young dancers flying to Prague to engage in friendly competition. We wish Team Guernsey the best of luck and will be cheering them on all the way.”
Helen Colmer, Sponsorship Coordinator of the Dance World Cup, said: “We feel very lucky to be taking such a large dance team to represent Guernsey across to Prague next week to compete in the Dance World Cup Finals. The children have worked so hard and are certainly ready to showcase their talent on the world stage. We’d like to thank The Sarah Groves Foundation, who kindly supplied the team kit, as well as our other sponsors: Guernsey Arts, Grant Thornton and Oak Group who contributed towards the event fees. This is such an exciting opportunity for the dancing community, and we hope to make our island proud as well as making some incredible memories along the way.”
Catherine Webster, co-principal at GATE, said: “Flying 59 GATE students to Prague is no small task – we are thankful to the parents for chaperoning and making it possible. GATE has previously won three gold medals at the World Cup, and with 62 countries competing this year, we know the competition will be fierce. However, we remain hopeful. We are so pleased with the kit, it looks fantastic, and the children love it!”
