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Eight young dancers from Ystrad Mynach’s Shappelles dance school have completed a hat-trick of competition wins.

The Shappelles Alegria Formation Team has won the Welsh, British and World Championships, securing top titles in Blackpool and Merthyr Tydfil along the way.

The team, made up of teenage girls – many of which are working towards their GCSEs, have put in years of hard work to reach the top of their game.

A number of the dancers have been inspired by Strictly Come Dancing‘s Amy Dowden, who used to train at Shappelles and maintains a close connection with the school and its students.

Meanwhile, seven out of the eight team members are Welsh-speaking, with the language regularly used while training and in competition.

The girls are trained by dance teachers Kay Perry and Loyd Griffiths, who said: “We are incredibly proud of our Formation Team and their amazing success. 

“They have put Ystrad Mynach and Wales on the map in competing within a national and international context, earning a reputation for being the best dancers in their field. 

“This is an incredible achievement in an art form which is hugely competitive and continues to grow in its popularity, and their stand-out performances in Blackpool and in Wales have amazed both the judges and the audiences.”