Hip hop has been taking centre stage as groups from across the region auditioned for a chance to star in an international festival heading to Norwich Theatre Royal next year.
The city theatre is set to host Breakin' Convention next May, an event which will feature hip hop acts from around the world including South Korea's Just Dance, Canadian urban contemporary duo Tentacle Tribe, and South Africa's Soweto Skeleton Movers.
On Monday local performers hoping to join the line-up auditioned at the theatre's Stage Two learning and participation centre.
The seven groups - who were each competing for one of three places - included: Norwich-based JustDance; Cambridge-based Fly No Filter; four groups from Parallel Dance Studios which runs classes across Norfolk; and Legacy, which was initially formed from the young male dancers who performed in Norwich for Matthew Bourne's New Adventure's production of Lord of the Flies.
Now the acts are all eagerly waiting to find out if they have been successful.
Eleven-year-old Courtney Cox, who is part of JustDance, said: 'The audition was fun and everyone gave their all. It was amazing to have this opportunity and I hope we get selected so we can show people our dances.'
Fellow dancer Jenny-Ruth Coren, nine, added: 'I love dancing hip hop because you can use all of your energy and all of your attitude to tell a story. I think the audition went quite well. It was nerve-wracking as we had never done anything like this before but I got into the flow of it and everything just clicked into place.'
The enthusiasm was shared by members of the Legacy group, with 15-year-old Joe Barbrook saying: 'Our piece combines jazz and hip hop. We have tried to show each person's best dance elements. It is a great experience for all of us.'
Fellow Legacy member George Potter, 13, said: 'I hope we get to perform on the Theatre Royal stage. To be alongside some of these big names would be an amazing experience that none of us would ever forget.'
John Bultitude, from Norwich Theatre Royal, said: 'So many hours of hard work had been put in by crews and dancers across the region in the lead-up to the audition. This showed in the quality and style of everyone who took part and the Breakin' Convention team are going to have a hard job to select the successful three groups.'
Breakin' Convention will be at Norwich Theatre Royal on Saturday, May 13 at 7.30pm.
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or call the box office on 01603 630000.
Do you have a Norwich arts story? Email arts correspondent Emma Knights at emma.knights@archant.co.uk
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