TWO junior dancing couples from Bournemouth will be heading to Blackpool to represent Great Britain in a national competition.

Lucy Alner and George Hedges, both 11, and Hannah Darling and Daniel Elliott, also both 11, are all due to compete in the Junior Dance Festival on Easter Monday.

Whilst Lucy and George have been picked to represent Great Britain for ballroom dancing, Hannah and Daniel will be representing GB for Latin dancing.

Lucy’s proud mum Amanda says it is unheard of for two junior couples from the same area to represent our country.

She said: “We’ve only ever had one couple from Bournemouth before in this situation, so it’s quite special to have two.

“They really are the best of the best.

“The way that they get selected for these events is by taking part in ranked competitions, which work on a point system, and then just working their way up.

“Lucy and George will have to do 10 dances in total, five in ballroom and five in Latin, so they have trained hard.”

Dancing together for three years, the pair are currently ranked third in Great Britain for ballroom dancing.

The competition will see people from many countries taking part in the contest and both couples will be competing in the juvenile under-12s category.

Hannah’s mum, Charlotte, said her daughter and Daniel had been partnered together for nine months and trained every day.

She said: “Hannah has been dancing since she was four and Daniel since he was about nine.

“This is what they have really been working towards. The thing is that this isn’t just a hobby for them, it’s a career move.

“I think a lot of people think that the competitions are like a beauty pageant, but in the juvenile category at least, they are not allowed to wear sparkly make-up or revealing clothes.

“If they do, then they are not allowed to take part. This is not like Strictly Come Dancing.”

Warren Boyce, owner and teacher at Nice ‘n’ Easy Dance Studios in Boscombe has been chosen as GB team captain.