A teenager has been selected to represent England at this year’s Dance World Cup.

Mia Byers, from Crawley Down Village, near Crawley, will fly out to Prague to take part in the event this summer.

The 15-year-old has been selected to dance a lyrical solo, a ballet duet, a contemporary duet and a ballet trio.

She will also perform in a number of small and large group dances.

Mia said: “I am honoured that so many of my dances have been selected for Team England and I am looking forward to representing Sussex and England at the Dance World Cup.”

She is one of 44 young dancers from the Kahli Lewis Dance Company to be selected.  

They auditioned against hundreds of other hopefuls to successfully secure their place on Team England.  

Aged between six and 18, the dancers represent England and showcase their talents at the 2024 Dance World Cup.

Kahli Lewis, whose dance company is in Farnham, Surrey, said: “I am so proud of Mia and the whole team. They train tirelessly and their dedication and commitment to dance and each other is to be commended.

“It is always nerve-racking waiting to find out who has been selected to represent England, but this year with 44 of our dancers being selected to dance in 38 dances, the nerves quickly faded, replaced with pride and the realisation of the hard work ahead of us. The dancers have a gruelling rehearsal schedule in the coming months but one they are already embracing with enthusiasm and excitement.”

The 38 dances choreographed by Kahli Lewis Dance Company selected include solo, duet, trio, quartet, small group and large group dances in genres ranging from ballet, tap, lyrical, commercial, musical, contemporary, modern, folklore.

Team England are currently the Dance World Champions, having won the Dance World Cup last year.

More than 6,000 dancers will represent their countries at the event which takes place from June 27 to July 6 this year.

The event is streamed live so you can watch and support Team England from home.