‘One Direction of dance’ starring Hainault teen to appear on Got to Dance

Mike, of Hainault, is part of the five-piece dance group Boyband who will star in the fifth series of the hit show, which returns on Saturday when the auditions are aired.

He has just finished sixth form at West Hatch High School in Chigwell, and says the modern dance troupe – who have been dubbed the One Direction of dance – were excited about finding out if they had got through the auditions.

“We are waiting to hear what’s going to happen and just hoping for the best.

“It was nerve-wracking – even though we are quite used to performing as a group because we perform quite a lot.

“Each of us felt different before the performance. I just went out there and did the best that I could.”

Mike, Dylan Movoral, Michael Ureta, Jaih Betote and Corey Culverwell are competing for the top prize of £250,000.

The boys, who have been friends for five years, formed the group after training together at ZooNation dance company.

They will be playing lead roles in Groove On Down The Road, a remake of the Wizard of Oz, at the Southbank Centre from next week.

But Mike said the five had only been rehearsing their act for Got to Dance for a month before the audition.

Asked about the name, Mike said the group wanted to bring their different personalities to the stage.

“It’s a name that works well with the competition,” he said. “We do have a boyband image.”

Despite the high profile of the show, this will not be the teenagers’ first television appearance.

Through ZooNation, Mike said they had previously appeared on Blue Peter and danced as extras in The Harry Hill Movie.

The self-confessed “mummies’ boys” have said they want to win to make their mums proud of them.

Mike, who lives with his parents Sandra and Godfrey and is the youngest of four, said his family had been really encouraging.

“They are really supportive of me but none of them dance themselves,” he said.

See how Boyband do when Got to Dance returns. Sky1 HD, Saturday August 9, 8pm