Blaze Street Dance Academy takes on Brussels

The dance academy is heading to Brussels in six weeks’ time to take on the European Championships.

Blaze opened in April 2011, with the classes run out of a small, rented studio in Guide Bridge.

Only a year later the team moved to their own studios on Oldham Road, where they still meet and train.

Now, the group boasts over 200 students, and has started teaching contemporary, cheer and stunting on top of street dance.

Blaze have always competed in local competitions, but over the last three years they have qualified for the world championships, which they competed in in the last three Decembers.

The group compete in two different types on competitions: the BDO street dance championships and the UDO street dance championships.

Blaze Street Dance Academy competed at the UDOs in February, despite not even thinking they would place due to the competition's high standards.

However, their expectations were far exceeded when the junior and senior teams placed third and fourth - leading them to qualify for the European Championships, which are set to be held in Belgium.

Sammy-Jo Boulton, the director and main choreographer of Blaze Street Dance Academy, told us how the team felt when they qualified: “It was a little bit of a shock that the kids have qualified because we didn’t even think. There is that many teams when you go to something like that.

“You could have 10/15 teams in your category, and they only place the top five. So for them to place, all the kids were buzzing. They were like, ‘can we go? Can we go to Belgium?’”

Every time they do a big competition, Blaze fundraises to try and cover the costs for the dancers and hopefully even the parents.

19 dancers will fly out the Belgium on the 12^th of June ahead of the competition, which will be spread across the 14th and 15th.

Most of the members attending train at the studio up to four times a week.

“I’ve said to them all, you’ve just got to enjoy the experience and what happens happens whilst we are there, if you don’t place, you just have to go there, you’ve got to have fun and just enjoy it," Sammy-Jo said. 

Blaze is hoping to raise around £4,000 to cover the expenses of the trip.

To raise money, they have set up a Just Giving page, and are hosting a football match on Saturday 10^th May.

They are also looking for a sponsorship for their kits that would help cover part of the trip.

With only six weeks to go until the team of 19 head off to Belgium, they are well underway with training in hopes to win!

Donations can be made to: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/europeanchampionships2025?utm_medium=CR&utm_source=EM

The Blaze Street Dance Academy Senior Group