Welcome to
THE COMPETITION SQUAD
COMPETITIONS
COMPETITION SQUAD
Our competition teams are selected each year through auditions and are split over several age categories including some ‘mixed’ age teams. At Gifford we enter our dancers into national competitions where they compete against the best from all over the U.K and beyond. Our previous competition teams have all been hugely successful and qualified through to numerous finals at Blackpool Opera House and M&S Bank Arena. Once in the competition team there is the possibility that dancers may also be invited to enter solo competitions and additional events. Being part of the competition squad is a big commitment so it’s only for dancers and parents that are prepared to dedicate themselves to the team, however it is also a fantastic experience and incredibly rewarding, allowing dancers to make friends and memories that last a lifetime.
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Being in the squad will literally change a dancers life, giving so many opportunities, but in return (and especially as this is a team) those accepting a place must be prepared to be flexible and put in a lot of time and effort. If just one member of the squad is missing a routine will not work and may even become unsafe to perform.
We have far too many competition highlights to list, but just a few from recent years, as well as some special memories, are shown below:
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At the end of January our competition squad performed seven sensational routines on this iconic stage, after winning through in heats. That's Showbiz is the largest group dance competition in the UK. The Gifford Team came away with a fabulous collection of trophies, including first in genre in both Mini, Junior and the Mixed age groups and 2nd in genre for the Seniors. Our Seniors came third in this NATIONAL FINAL overall, our Minis and Mixed age teams both came second and our JUNIOR AGE SMALL GROUP CAME FIRST AND WERE ANNOUNCED CHAMPIONS. We also won best small groups, best technique and best choreography!
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All the above follows SYWTD in November, where our mixed age team scored the highest overall points for the whole weekend.
We also had several of our dancers picked out as the judges choice which is a huge honour and one of our junior dancers had the highest score for her age group despite being only just old enough to be in that category! For the groups we placed either first or second in every age category and the dancers did the choreography credit as they absolutely smashed every routine.
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE 2025!!!
WINNERS OF THE ELITE DANCE
CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024!
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WOW AND WOW! This result is proof that hard work and dedication really does pay off. To walk away the overall winners of the entire event… and THE CHAMPIONS - well we are blown away and so proud of our extended Gifford family. Proud of the dancing, proud of the talent, proud of the results but also proud of the teamwork, proud of the work ethic, proud of the commitment and consistency, proud of how you all support each other, proud of how you represent the team, proud of how you clap and cheer and show kindness to your competitors, proud of the amazing dancers that you are and proud to be your coaches.
There is no better way we could have started the 2024 competition season and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.
Winners of the whole event three years in a row!
In September we took our competition team to Peterborough and to one of our favourite competitions called Born2Perform. We put on stunning routines and had incredible results!
We are delighted to come away for the third year in a row as overall champions with our junior small group crowned the FIRST PLACE WINNERS!
This is a huge achievement, and these young dancers are to be commended for their dedication to their dancing. As well as our group routines, in all the age categories entered, taking a first place, there were plenty of first places and trophies for GDA solos, duos and trios too, with dancers stepping up to present some spectacular routines.
Gifford won the best choreography award, the judges stopped the competition several times to single out individual GDA dancers for their outstanding talent, and to complete a wonderful day the junior small group won with their beautiful lyrical routine! The season is not over yet and we look forward to what is yet to come as well.
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Amazing results! A huge well done to every single dancer, your coaches are so incredibly proud of you all!
CHAMPIONS at BORN2PERFORM 2022, 2023 and 2024!!
GIFFORD DANCE RECEIVE TOP HONOURS AT BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE TO END 23/24 SEASON!
In January 2024, after winning through in heats, Gifford Dance Academy were finalists in the largest group dance competition in the UK! They performed six sensational routines on the prestigious stage at Blackpool Opera House. The Seniors were awarded the Adjudicators Award, the Mini Team came 4th out of 30 finalists of the highest standard, the Mixed Age Team came both 2nd and 3rd in their genres and GDA also won awards for the best choreography and also for the most original routine!!! This was the perfect way to end our very successful competition season and we are looking forward to auditions for next season in February.
WINNERS OF THE WEEKEND! SYWTD NOVEMBER 2023
Our competition teams truly excelled AT 'So You Want To Dance' in Milton Keynes, with our mixed age acro routine being chosen as the best out of all the 400 entries across the event. All our group routines placed in the top three and three of them were firsts! We had brilliant results in solos and duos with so many medalists, including golds and special awards for phenomenal performances!
National Champions of Born 2 Perform 2022!!!
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We were so excited to learn (via an online video countdown) that our mixed age routine has been chosen, out of ALL THE ROUTINES THE JUDGES HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR ACROSS THE UK, as the very best!!!! How wonderful to find out right on Christmas too! Such an outstanding achievement indeed, and we are absolutely thrilled. To win such a huge national competition is a great honour and we thank the organisers for all they do. This is just a snippet of the video which you can find at https://fb.watch/hA2rbOLqSg/ where the whole routine is shown.
Congratulations everyone!!!!
Lots more information to put up about Blackpool Opera House finals too as soon, as we get a chance!
UNBEATEN ALL SEASON!
On 21st November 2021 our competition teams were fortunate enough to perform at Blackpool Opera House, many for the first time. We all had a brilliant weekend at a national competition of the highest standard. Here are the mixed age team on stage that day. They were awarded first place and have been unbeaten all this competition season. Quite a record! If you watch this then we think you will see why :-)
OUR MIXED AGE TEAM PERFORMED IN THE 2020 GRAND FINAL OF THE LARGEST GROUP COMPETITION IN THE UK!
Gifford Dance ‘mixed age’ competition team were in the GRAND FINAL of THE LARGEST GROUP DANCE COMPETITION IN THE UK. They performed at LIVERPOOL M&S ARENA which is a huge and prestigious venue. There were 22 heats, 4 all day semi-finals at Blackpool Opera House and approximately 220 routines in the Grand Final. Our team came 3rd in genre and 6th overall for their age out of everyone in the UK!!!!!!! Our dancers are absolutely excelling and what an outstanding achievement this is for them. Videos were tricky to film in such a large venue, so please don’t let the quality of the video put you off. We hope you will take a moment to appreciate the quality of the dancing instead. Three of these talented dancers are only age 10! We are just beaming with pride. Well done!
BEST IN SHOW!!!
DESTINATION
DANCE
KENT 2020
This weekend was an exciting one for us! This is a large national competition and the weekend included 448 routines of a very high standard.
On Saturday we took 11 soloists to perform and they certainly did us proud. Many were going solo for the very first time and every dancer gave it their all, truly deserving the following awards which they received: 6 silver medals, 3 gold medals and 2 gold plus medals and a first place in category. Gold plus qualifies these dancers for places in the nationals! Brilliant performances from all who took part.
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On Sunday it was Rebecca and Lucie’s turn to dance. They received first place for their duet and Lucie also did a solo. For the solo she received first place, a platinum medal, a scholarship award and WAS JUDGED THE VERY BEST IN THE WHOLE OF THE WEEKEND SHOW, which included all the solos, duos, trios and group dances!!!! What a wonderful weekend for GDA. Well done everyone!
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS NOVEMBER 2019 !
Our competition team travelled to Blackpool in November to perform in the Grand Final of Dance Challenge UK, one of the very largest group dance competitions there is. Our two squads had both come first in their heats and it was a real privilege to be in the final and for our dancers to have the opportunity of dancing on such a prestigious stage in front of thousands. For some this had been their very first competition!
What happened next was beyond our expectations! The mini team came FIRST in the Grand Final making them the NATIONAL CHAMPIONS and our mixed age team came second in THE WHOLE OF THE UK. Gifford are now well and truly competing with, and winning against, some of the very best and most established dance schools in the country and we are so proud of each and every one of our dancers.
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AWARD WINNERS IN THE LARGEST GROUP DANCE COMPETITION IN THE UK
In 2016 we entered the largest group dance competition in the UK called 'That's Showbiz'. Top stage and dance schools came from all over the UK to compete. There were 22 heats and we were more than excited when we made it through to the semi-final held at Blackpool Opera House!
We thought that we could only dream about a place in the grand final but after putting on a show stopping routine in Blackpool our group of seven (including dancers as young as ten years old) achieved their goal!!
On 11th March 2017 we had the absolute privilege of dancing in the final at LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA in front of thousands. After an imaginative, creative, routine including lifts, throws and tumbles we WON the National Adjudicators Award.
