A First for the London Youth Games
History was made last week Thursday (May 23rd) as the London Youth Games joined forces with ParaDance UK and Alexander Palace to host the first pan-disability dance event.
The event was a huge success with nine teams from across London vying for the title of the first LYG ParaDance champions. Performances ranged from a bop to a reggae-inspired remix of Baby Shark titled Mek We Dance to Make That Change: a mash-up of Michael Jackson hits to Taking it Back to the 90s: a throwback to some of the most popular hip hop and classic dance moves of the 90s.
Host for the day was Damien Anyasi, a regular fixture at LYG Dance competitions. We were also joined by hip-hop stars Corrie King and Charlie Blair and philanthropist Vera Randall-Noyce who served as judges.
Spectators were treated to a special half-time showcase performance from street dance troupe Autism with Attitude. The group from Hillingdon became the first autistic dance group to qualify for the World Street Dance Championship back in 2017 and more recently featured on the latest season of the BBC show: The Greatest Dancer.
After a dance break, the results were announced. Hillingdon Manor School were crowned ParaDance champions with Northway School and Pentland Field following in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
A huge thank you to our GamesForce volunteers who came from far and wide and included the Chair of ParaCheer International and a Non-Executive Director from England Handball.
Thank you to our incredible judges: Corrie, Charlie and Vera and MC Damien, for your energy and encouragement of all participants. We couldn’t have run the first pan-disability event without you!
Thank also to our competition directions Selina Johnson and Patrick McGeough of ParaDance UK for working closely with us to run this event. And finally, a very special thank you to Alexandra Palace for your generosity and for playing host on this historic occasion.
To mark the new Nike partnership, Gold Medallists from across the 2019 LYG Summer season will be awarded an exclusive Gold Medallist LYG Nike Jacket at the LYG Finale weekend on July 6th and 7th. As winners of the first ParaDance competition, in addition to their gold medals, Hillingdon Manor School also received a golden ticket which will enable them to collect their special Gold Medallist jacket.
The Finale Weekend will take place at the home of the Games, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. We warmly welcome competitors old and new and supporters to join us for what will an unforgettable weekend of sporting action.
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