For someone Born To Perform, being stuck behind closed doors during the pandemic was no fun at all.
So when Ellie-Bea Thomas was finally let loose on the Britain’s Got Talent stage, she was over the moon about it.
“I always feel happiest when I’m dancing,” she says. “I love how dance can express all your feelings and emotions and make everyone feel positive.”
Viewers will see Ellie-Bea centre stage in a glittery pink skirt and matching pink bow as the 14-member musical dance group Born To Perform appear on BGT tonight, dancing to Hairspray’s fun tune You Can’t Stop The Beat.
Hairspray is one of Ellie’s favourite musicals, alongside Kinky Boots. As she has Down’s syndrome, Ellie was classed as vulnerable and had to isolate for the entirety of lockdown.
Daily online dance classes saved her from loneliness. She says: “It was tough for me not being able to go out and see people, but I was so thankful seeing any friends from dance class for the daily Zoom practice.
“I was so happy that I could carry on dancing.
“Our dance teachers, Charlotte, Clemmie and Kim, are the best too.”
Ellie’s signature move is the splits, after learning gymnastics as a child, which none of her teachers can match.
Ellie, 23, reveals: “I have tried to show them, but they don’t have my gymnastic training. But they are brilliant. I’m so grateful for all their classes over lockdown. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
Choreographer Charlotte Ashby, 23, set up Born To Perform dance school with Kimberley Carey, 33, and Clementine Milne, 32, in 2020.
It is for children and young people with disabilities. The best friends had experience working within the special needs community and wanted to create a positive and fun learning space.
Weeks after they set up the school, the country went into lockdown but, undeterred, Born To Perform took their classes online.
Charlotte, 23, says: “Initially it was just a one-hour weekly dance session in a room at a sixth-form college but then Covid hit and that helped us expand. Because many people with disabilities had to isolate, joining the dance classes brought some sociability into their lives.
“We were running four sessions a day as well as online parties.”
The Northampton school now has more than 100 students.
The group, all 14-25, have been training for the audition for six months but were not told until two days beforehand that they were going on a coach to the London Palladium.
Ellie says: “Our teachers didn’t want us to get us too excited and get our hopes up too much. But it was still an ‘oh my god’ feeling! Especially seeing people I’ve only ever seen at home on TV. Ant and Dec were really lovely.
“Simon looked very strict. I wasn’t sure how our performance was going to come across to him.
“Alesha looked gorgeous, and Amanda was really friendly.
“It was exciting to show our dance moves on such a big stage. I was confident of our routine, but there were definitely nerves too.”
Charlotte says: “Ellie just shines when she is on stage. She has been probably dancing one of the longest in the group, and her energy is fantastic.
“Ellie always contributes to the choreography with ideas.
“I feel her time has come to show what she can do.” Another of BTP’s 14 members on BGT is Harry Welch.
Harry’s biggest highlights from the auditions were meeting presenters Ant and Dec and judge Alesha Dixon.
He says of the Geordie pair: “They are my all-time favourite comedy duo. But I was probably most excited to meet Alesha.
“She is a dancer too, like me.”
Harry, 22, has autism and, like Ellie, has often found that dancing is the best way to express himself.
The musicals fan, whose favourite show is Cats, says: “I can show my leadership qualities in the group, and that is something I couldn’t do before.
“Dancing has helped me in lots of ways. I used to be bullied a lot when I was a child – but now I feel more confident. I don’t feel judged when I am dancing.”
Charlotte adds of her dancers: “You can see they were born to perform.”
