Young dancers from Redbridge hope to emulate the Beyonce song which they perform to and be crowned among the best dance groups in the world on Friday.

Tomorrow (Friday), 12 dancers from Turbelle’s Performing Arts dance school, which has its headquarters in Oaks Park High School, Oaks Lane, Newbury Park, will take to the stage in the World Dance Championships.

One of only three groups representing the UK, their four-and-a-half minute hip-hop routine, soundtracked to a version of Beyonce’s We Run The World (Girls), must impress judges to beat 40 international groups.

Managing principal Joelle Jones squeezed in a final four-and-a-half hour rehearsal with the group, called Lethal Chemistry, at Redbridge Sports Centre, Forest Road, Barkingside, on Sunday.

She said: “It’s quite nerve-wracking now, it’s just counting down the time.

“From my point of view, I’ve been working with most of them for nine years.

“They work really hard and it’s been a great team effort.”

After auditioning, the group was picked for the finals by the International Dance Federation in October.

The tenth championships, the first in the UK, will be held in Eastbourne meaning a long day for the dancers, 11 of whom are from Redbridge and who range in age from 11 to 25.

Their routine includes hip-hop dancing, some ballet and jazz moves and free-styling parts, including a solo turn for Megan Gibbs, 11, of Ilford.

She will incorporate freezes and handstands into her dance.

The routine was choreographed by instructor Omar Ansah Awuah and has led to eight hours of practice a week since October.

Joelle said: “It really would mean a lot [to win].

“They’ve never done a competition as big as this before.

“It already means a lot to be able to represent your country and the actual experience will be fantastic to compete against people from other countries and make friends on the day.”

Visit www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk and see next week’s paper to find out how they get on.