Two local dancers in bid for Sky show title

Two Meath dancers will feature in the the live semi-finals of the hit Sky 1 HD entertainment show 'Got To Dance' next month. Eleven year-old Lauryn Masterson from Clonmagadden Fort in Navan is a member of the Lil Husters Dance troupe which beat off tough competition from all over the UK and Ireland to earn their place in the semi-final, which will take place on 12th February. Meanwhile, Dane McKiernan from Rath Chairn is a member of Prodijig who have also qualified for the semi-finals and will be appearing in next Sunday night's competition. The Lil hustlers are a junior, 1980s-inspired, hip-hop crew ranging in age from 10 to 13, making them amongst the youngest performers to make it to the semi-final stages. They are unbeaten on the Irish competition circuit with titles including All-Ireland Hip Hop Championships 2009-2010, Irish Hip Hop Masters 2009-2011, RTE Kazoo Dance Fusion Competition champions and, in 2010, they came third at the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas. Lauryn first started attending the Streets Ahead Dance School in Santry and now attends classes in Simonstown, Navan. Her mum, Anita, says Lauryn is in sixth class in St Oliver's National School and her entire class is very excited about her success. "They are over the moon. Her teacher, Ms Murphy, has been wonderful and all her classmates will be voting in the competition," she said. Luckily for Lauryn, most of the shows have been recorded and the live semi -inal on 12th February takes place while she is on mid-term break, so she won't be missing out on school. Each of the five semi-final shows will be filmed live at Pinewood Studios in London from next Sunday to Sunday 26th February. Each week six acts will perform, two of whom will go forward to the live final on Sunday 4th March at London's Olympia. Viewers will be able to vote for their favourite act. Prodijig is made up of seven Irish dancers, ranging in age from 21 to 27, from the current professional 'Riverdance' tour. Dane McKiernan, a son of James and Mary McKiernan, is a talented Irish dancer who toured with Riverdance for three years, and before that, with 'Rhythm of the Dance'. He explained that Prodijig want to become a successful dancing troupe and show the world that Irish dancing can be fun, imaginative and creative. All seven of the gorup met while touring with Riverdance and started putting their act together about a year ago and started rehearsing last summer. They are rehearsing this week in preparation for Sunday night's live show. A former member of the Carney Irish Dancing School, Dane has danced at functions and festivals around Meath, including countless St Patrick's Day parades, and is appealing to the people of Meath to vote for Prodijig. Voting details for both acts will be available on the nights of the shows.