Article by:
Courtney Cameron
Rebecca Duke, 15, impressed American reality TV star Abby Lee Miller at a recent workshop held in the Capital. Now the Broughton High School pupil is set to jet off to Los Angeles this summer to be taught by the host of Dance Moms.
Rebecca, a devoted viewer of the show, said: “I still can’t believe it, it’s a dream come true. All the dancers in the world know who Abby Lee Miller is – words can’t describe how excited I am to be given this opportunity.
“I can’t wait to meet all her dancers, who I watch on TV every week.”
Rebecca started dancing at the age of three with Derek Nicol Dancemasters in the city before being spotted by the Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA).
She now dances almost every night of the week, studying ballet, jazz and modern dance in the hope of becoming a professional performer one day.
Rebecca’s proud mum, Tracey, 41, said: “Rebecca has always been a freestyle dancer, but when she joined EDA just over a year ago she started participating in competitions and learning new styles of dance.
“We’ve watched Dance Moms every Monday for years, so for her to be able to participate in the masterclass with Abby was a treat in itself.
“When she was given the scholarship it was an emotional moment. I will do everything I can to make sure we get her over there – we don’t know the exact details yet.”
The Evening News told recently how 300 young dancers attended a masterclass held by Abby Lee Miller at the Corn Exchange.
Dance Moms, which is shown in the UK on satellite channel Lifetime TV, follows the journey of eight of Abby Lee’s competition dancers, who are all part of her elite dance school – The Abby Lee Dance Company.
After putting the Capital’s dancers through a series of routines and choreography from the hit show, Abby whittled it down to just ten girls who were then asked to sing a song. After being impressed by Rebecca’s all-round talent, she awarded her a scholarship to fly to LA to dance with her company this summer.
Suzie Galloway, commercial director at the EDA, said: “Rebecca is such a hard-working pupil and member of our competition team here at EDA and she really put her all into the Abby Lee workshop.
“After making it all the way to the final stages in a mock audition, Abby asked if she could sing. Rebecca then belted out Valerie. We were all so proud of her.
“She was delighted to be offered the scholarship.”
Log in with Google