A TEAM of young dancers did their country proud at a prestigious international tournament, returning to Radcliffe with well over 100 trophies.

Freak Dance dispatched the squad of more than 50 youngsters from their Dale Street studios to the week-long International Dance Federation World Championships in Brixen, Italy, at the end of May.

It is the second year in a row that Freak Dance have represented England at the tournament and the group's founder, Aeron Lloyd-Booth, was impressed with the improvement this time around.

He told the Radcliffe Times: "It was an amazing experience. We placed top six in everything we did and came away with 136 trophies, 12 of which were for first place.

"Everyone who came with us placed in something.

"We knew more of what to expect than we did last year and were able to prepare a bit more and train a bit harder.

"We were looking at what all of the other teams were doing last year and the kids were able to pick up the bits that they liked and give them a try themselves. It was a long week, but it was great to watch.

"For some of the kids, it was the first time they had been out of the country and it is a great experience for them.

"A lot of them said as soon as they got off they coach that if they could go back straight away and do it again, then they would. That says a lot considering they had just been on a 25-hour coach trip."

The group, who are also looking forward to a trip to Los Angeles, will be travelling to Hungary for next year's championships and are recruiting new dancers to join their England squad.

Aeron added: "We start again straight away with our auditions for Budapest, which is this time next year.

"We are also taking the group to Los Angeles as well, and that will give them the chance to work with industry professionals during their stay and compete against teams from other countries too. I went to the same place when I was younger and it will be great for our team.

"They will also get to go to Disneyland and perform there.

"We are still looking for people to join the England team for next year, and it doesn't matter if they go to another dance school. It's a great way for local kids to represent their country."

To join Freak Dance, contact Aeron on 07814 384689.