Street Dance Final BBC Young Dancer

Two years ago, BBC Young Dancer launched

as a showcase for the UK's best young dance talent.

Six were selected to perform in the grand final.

Judged by some of the leading figures from the dance world.

Performing in front of such an enormous audience

and to be seen by so many important people in the dance world,

what an incredible thing for them.

It showed how great these young dancers are

and it gave us hope for the future.

The winner is Connor.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

At the end of an unforgettable evening,

competition ambassador Carlos Acosta

announced 17-year-old contemporary dancer Connor Scott

as the first ever winner.

When they announced my name, literally,

it was just shock because I couldn't quite believe it.

The whole thing was such a beautiful experience

and to share it with some absolutely beautiful people, as well,

it was...it was amazing.

In just four weeks' time, BBC Young Dancer

returns to Sadler's Wells

and this world-famous stage for the 2017 grand final.

The winners of each of the four categories -

Street, Contemporary,

Ballet and South Asian dance, plus one wild card -

will perform here, in front of some of the biggest names in dance,

which is a prize in itself.

But at the end of the evening,

one of our dancers will walk away with the title -

BBC Young Dancer 2017.

Dance has rarely been more popular or as diverse.

People of all ages are taking up dance classes,

watching live performances in theatres and cinemas

and there's also a certain Saturday night entertainment show.

Dance is fun. People take great pleasure in doing it.

It's part of who we are as human beings.

Currently, these is so much diversity,

that's the diverse society that we live in,

and it's projected in the dance world.

Dance is extremely important

and I think, the more people dance, the more happy we'll be.

Last summer, BBC Young Dancer invited applications

from the best ballet, contemporary,

South Asian and street dancers aged 16-21.

Over the course of the series, we'll be following 20 dancers

and their journeys through the competition,

getting an insight into what it takes to be a dancer,

and showcasing the very best of their performances

from the category finals.

Tonight, we begin with the poppers and the lockers

as street dance takes centre stage.

From the DVD auditions, ten from this category

were selected to compete in the second round.

Held at the Midlands' Art Centre in Birmingham back in October,

it was judged by dancer and choreographer Marso Riviere,

popper and robot performer Nicholas Marvel,

and dancer and CEO of Boadicea Crew Rhimes Lecointe.

It's about being funky, it's about being unique, being creative,

being entertaining and enjoying yourself.

And I found tonight that they were really enjoying themselves,

so it was enjoyable to watch.

I just felt I was really blown away by the level of the dancers,

technically speaking and on a performance level, as well.

When it came to picking five dancers, it was quite hard,

but we managed to get five

and they were all very creative and original in their styles.

You guys are in for a real treat.

There's a lot of talent going on there. Wait until you see them.

And the five dancers selected for the street dance final are -

19-year-old Harry Barnes from Merseyside.

Two years ago, Harry won this category

and a place in the grand final.

He's back this year to defend his title.

It's real when you've got an actual audience.

You've just got to get them all on your wavelength.

And I really enjoy that task of trying to win people over...

without even saying a word.

18-year-old Tom Hughes Lloyd from Wrexham.

He's a former Junior World Street Dance Champion.

I'd had a few doubts over whether I'd be good enough, really.

And then I just thought, "I've got to do something,

"I've got to push myself."

And this came up and I just thought it would be perfect.

I'm going into this just to learn something new about myself,

but hopefully so that people can enjoy what I'm doing.

21-year-old Jodelle Douglas lives in Cardiff and, like Harry,

made it to this stage in the competition two years ago.

This show, I feel like it's one of the best platforms I've ever been

put on in terms of an experience, opportunity.

As long as I get what I want across to the audience, whoever,

happy days!

At just 17 years old, Kate Morris from Maesteg in South Wales

is the youngest dancer to make it through.

I watched Jodelle and Harry when I was 15 and I was, like,

"Oh, I want to do this".

So then I had to wait until I was old enough to do BBC Young Dancer,

so I'm glad I'm here. I'm really glad.

And completing the line-up,

21-year-old Darren Hamilton from Glasgow.

The best thing about dance is literally being able to

create and not worry about what you're creating.

That's the best thing, just that and connecting with people.

# Clap your hands, everybody

# If you got what it takes... #

Originating on the streets of New York, street dance first

arrived in the UK in the 1980s.

# Get on down. #

In the UK at the moment,

there's an absolutely massive street dance scene. So much going on.

If you're part of that community,

it feels like that's all there is in the world.

And it's getting bigger and bigger and bigger by the minute.

We're getting world champions now.

We're actually making a global impact.

People are afraid of battling our dancers now - that's a reality now.

The umbrella term street dance comes from the fact that it started

as a dance in the street.

But actually, street dance is in the theatre.

It's not street dance anymore.

It's a beautiful, legitimised dance form that is growing

and is successful and commercial.

Street dance is such a broad genre with

a myriad of different styles from locking to breaking.

This year, the dancers who've made it through to the category final

are all poppers.

Fundamentally, popping is the contraction and release of a muscle.

It appears like an electrical pulse,

so you contract and release and that is a pop.

Within it though there are many other styles.

Like animation, you can become a creature or a character.

Waving, you can use undulations to create the illusion of water.

Robot, you can become a mechanical automaton.

So there's all these things.

Then you can mix them up and just make good stories with them.

I look at some of these younger dancers.

What they are doing is WAY beyond my understanding and my thinking.

And they are pushing the boundaries and doing

new and exciting things and I LOVE it.

And good on them.

And I can't wait to see what happens in the next 50 years.

It's January and our five street dance finalists are in

Newport, South Wales to meet the mentors who will guide them

through the competition.

-Well done for getting this far, guys.

-Thank you.

-Awesome.

They are choreographers and street dance pioneers

Rhimes Lecointe and DJ Renegade.

I would really hope that all competitors get just

a sense of who they are as artists out of this.

By the end of it, they should be proud,

they should feel like they've accomplished something.

Some dancers just want to be in the background doing the same thing

as everyone else and some actually have a story to tell,

and I want to talk to the people who want to tell their own story.

Let someone else do the people-in-the-background stuff.

All five dancers are required to present two solos

and a duet in the category finals.

Newport provides the opportunity to work through their ideas

with their mentors.

First to work with DJ Renegade is Harry Barnes.

Yeah, way into the distance.

'Harry's way past capable.'

He knows exactly what he wants to do but I want him to push beyond that.

I want to see - what does Harry Barnes bring

to the dance form?

I want you to feel it in your skin, bro.

I've been finishing off and just making little changes and stuff

to my pieces in this last week.

It's been a little bit stressful and so he reassured

me that it was at the level it should be and, yeah, happy now.

In her session with Tom, Rhimes focuses on his stage presentation.

I LOVE to watch Tom dance. Ah!

I just think it's beautiful what he does...

but it could be the projection of his face and his eye line.

So, we looked to raise the head up, pierce out, look at your audience.

What are you saying? What do you want them to feel?

What he is saying is no place to go and I feel like

you could use that, like, in the beginning, you were...

like that.

-Yeah.

-So use that.

-Yeah.

-Because it really, really worked.

I'm so happy with the feedback that I got and it's really helped me.

I know exactly what I need to do for the next round.

Yeah! Awesome.

In the past two years,

Jodelle has been developing his own style of popping.

He now breaks it down with DJ Renegade.

-Nothing too awkward yet.

-OK.

'He's very experimental.'

He has a lot of great ideas that I think he has been afraid

of expressing before.

So, I just wanted to say to him,

"Don't worry about winning this competition."

Stop looking at them.

It's about you, as an artist,

using the platform to say what you want to say.

Good. Remember to zigzag.

Instead of me just walking straight in a line,

he would think of, like, a zigzag.

Just those little finishing touches that I'm going to personally

take away for myself, so if I'm ever creating or choreographing,

I'm going to think of Renegade's advice.

In her workshop with Rhimes,

Kate is challenged to bring out her personality in the pieces.

She's so interesting to watch. She's so quirky.

She's so experimental.

It's not too often that you will see a girl pop like a lady.

There's not many girls who embody their femininity with the popping,

but I feel like you could kind of tease us a little bit with,

-"I can go into that style but I'm going to hold it back."

-OK.

Going in with Rhimes, I felt like, "Ugh, I need to get my game on,"

but then coming out, I was so relieved.

Like, she made me feel like I had two strong solos

and I was ready to perform them.

Darren is a freestyle dancer, which means that much of his

performance will be improvised.

But for DJ Renegade, there's work needed on his storytelling.

'He's very competent at his style, but it's trying to get him to

'structure his freestyles so he has a better idea of what narrative

'he's trying to put across.'

Think of the space as, like, this is your...

This is where you're writing your story, right?

'Even though he's freestyling,'

'he needs to think about where he's starting, the point he's going to go

'through and how he's going to end his piece.'

How do you feel?

'He basically told me how to use the stage a wee bit more'

and told me how to be comfortable in my movement,

and how to continue my moves a bit longer

instead of just having that adrenaline rush

and throwing it away, which was really cool.

With only a week between the mentor sessions and the category finals,

the dancers leave with plenty to work on.

After winning this stage last time round,

there is a little pressure there.

Next week is crucial, really.

I've just need to take on board everything that I've been told

and just drill it.

Now, it's just about putting the graft in,

just making sure I really home in on the little details.

Now I've got to really step up my game and produce something special.

What I'm going to be working on is my performance,

really trying to tweak little bits and bobs.

I want to take risks, so I'm going to be practising

a lot more movement to take risks cos that's just how I work.

Over the next week, I'm literally banging in rehearsals while

doing college work, so it's going to be a bit of balance,

but I will be getting those hours in in the studio.

Sometimes I'm a bit too harsh on myself.

I just need to enjoy it instead of being that much of a critic.

I suppose that's the judges' job more than mine.

I should just enjoy it.

The Lowry Centre, Salford Quays.

It's late January and the day of the street dance final.

The dancers arrive for their stage rehearsals.

It's their first opportunity to run through their three pieces

with lighting and cameras.

On hand, their mentors Rhimes and DJ Renegade.

For the dancers, it's been months of preparation to get to this

stage of the competition.

The challenge now is to impress three of the UK's

leading dance experts.

They are, Tony Adigun,

founder and Artistic Director of Avant Garde Dance company.

I'm looking for their relationship with music.

I'm a big fan of music and how we move to music,

so for me it's how they marry those two things together.

Bringing what they've been training to the stage

and making it into a performance.

I'm looking for the dancer to have fun and let loose tonight.

Clara Bajadoo, a dancer, choreographer and lecturer,

specialising in house dance and hip-hop.

I'm going to be looking for something organic that would

come out from the dancer.

The winning performance for me tonight will have

a really good projection, cleanness of the movement,

understanding of the style, character and creativity.

And our general adjudicator Shobana Jeyasingh,

critically-acclaimed choreographer

and founder of Shobana Jeyasingh Dance company.

She'll be chairing the jury in all four Young Dancer category finals.

We need someone who can actually, while showing off their technique,

will also make us forget the technique

and just look at them as the person.

You need to be a super performer and communicate yourself as an artist.

First to dance in this street dance final

is 19-year-old Harry Barnes from Merseyside.

Every different dancer has their own character.

My character when I go on stage is very fun and jokey.

I'm very smiley throughout life anyway, so I like to dance that way.

Before he started dancing, there was another obsession driving Harry.

I started playing golf when I was seven, I think.

I played golf seriously for years and I didn't think anything

would take me away from golf.

Every day I was practising, practising hard.

When I was 12, I went to see a dance show.

I just enjoyed it that much that the next week I joined my first

dancing class.

Then I was just dancing all the time and golf just slowly got

pushed to the side.

Harry returns to BBC Young Dancer as reigning street dance champion.

# Go all the way if you know

# I'll give you the rest

# Now tell me what do... #

Harry Barnes.

Just had such a good time last time and it was just such

a positive experience that I just want to do it all over again.

I definitely move a little bit different now,

but a dancer's style always progresses, always moves on.

You'll never find something and just stick with it forever.

We're always looking to push ourselves and improve.

It's pretty exciting, to be honest,

especially when you've worked really hard on something,

to finally get to the day where, you know,

I get to share what I've made.

I'm excited and ready. Ready.

It just needs an audience for me to perform to now.

And, in the audience, Harry has plenty of support.

He opens his programme with a piece he's titled Trapped.

The idea of the whole piece is, like,

I'm trapped in the spotlight, I'm trying to get out and I can't.

URBAN MUSIC PLAYS

For his duet, Harry is joined on stage by Chase Willoughby.

'I'm most excited to be doing the duet,'

pas de deux, as some say.

Just because, you know, I've never stood there and performed

a duo before, so I'm really excited for that.

It's starts slow and then we just bang it out.

REMIX OF HOLY GHOST BY MESSINIAN PLAYS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Harry is going to end his performance by showcasing his

locking skills in a piece he's called It's My Birthday.

My everyday personality comes out a little bit more in this one.

It's going to be my birthday tomorrow,

so it's like my birthday party, I suppose, and everyone's invited.

# Throw some perm on your attitude

# Girl, you gotta relax, ooh

# Let me show you what you got to do

# You gotta lay it back

# Matter of fact

# Band, show her how to lay it back

# Show her how to lay it back

# Show her how to lay it back

# Show her how to lay it back

# Hey, now you got it baby

# You trying to have some fun tonight

# You just got to follow these simple instructions, you ready?

-# You need activate your sexy

-Activate your sexy

-# Silky smooth and snap

-Silky smooth and snap

-# Now lean with it

-Lean

-# Throw a lil sheen in it

-Sheen

# Then pat, pat, pat till it's flat

# I'll say it again

# Throw some perm on your attitude

# Girl, you gotta relax

# Ooh

# Let me show you what you got to do

# You gotta lay it back

# Matter of fact

# Band, show her how to lay it back

# Show her how to lay it back

# Show her how to lay it back now

# Show her how to lay it back

# All right! #

Charismatic and very popular,

that was Harry Barnes opening this street dance final.

You can see Harry and all of tonight's performances in full

on our website - bbc.co.uk/youngdancer

Harry's performance was very, very strong.

When he worked with his partner,

the way they moved in the space was very impressive.

More than dance, it was a great performance.

Outstanding performer for sure.

He got the audience, he got us, he's got a great all-round energy.

Really great.

Tonight, in one word, was just amazing.

The crowd seemed to enjoy it. I had a lot of supporters.

So, yeah, thanks to them for coming.

I came off buzzing after every piece. It was just amazing.

Next to dance, it's Tom Hughes Lloyd,

who is 18 and comes from Wrexham in North Wales.

I started dancing about eight years ago.

I never went to any classes.

I used to just copy dancers I'd see on YouTube.

I really like Michael Jackson, so I danced like him.

Then, afterwards, I went more into popping.

Now it feels like I have developed my own dance,

so I don't copy anybody anymore.

I just use what they do as inspiration and it gives

me ideas for my own thing.

Last summer, Tom completed a performing arts course

at Coleg Cambria in Wrexham and he's back to help out

with their winter showcase.

Tutor Jamie Jenkins saw his potential early on.

'It was amazing, like, I'd never seen anyone move like that.

'And the fact he has passion, the passion that he had for dancing

'just kind of came out.'

I was kind of like, "Whoa, this boy's got something."

I benefited a lot from the stuff we did at college.

Not only the dance technique, but the acting side

and how the dance and acting are actually, they relate.

Because, within acting, you're telling a story,

and with dance, you're telling a story.

So it's kind of, for me, it's very similar.

As well as working with the college students,

Tom also teaches dance one-to-one.

I met Rion a few years ago now.

He was going to quit dance at one point,

so I felt like I had seen potential in him and I said,

"No, you shouldn't quit. You're really good."

What we're doing is we're going this way.

Yeah, and your head will just go naturally with it.

'I began mentoring him after that and, since then,'

we've trained together and become really good friends.

Since I left college and I started working,

I've been doing as much dancing as I can,

making sure I'm just having fun with it, really.

But they always catch me at work dancing,

and I'm always trying to sneak in a bit of dancing

while I'm behind the bar.

At the moment, it's hard to find the time to dance,

but I make sure that I make time for dance.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The whole process has been so fun and, you know,

there was times where I felt really nervous,

but now I can't wait to just get on stage

and do what I've been working towards this whole time.

My first solo is Holding On.

I would say this one's like a release for me.

Because popping is associated with something

a bit more up-tempo,

doing this, really, I think, shows off what my style is

and how it's different to other people's.

MUSIC: Holding On by Disclosure featuring Gregory Porter

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

In a self-choreographed programme,

Tom also performed a solo piece titled Down The Road.

MUSIC: Down The Road by C2C

And for his duet performance in this final,

Tom is joined by dance partner Max Ravel.

We decided to go for, like, an old-man theme.

We've tried to go for a bit of comedy,

but the main theme is that anybody can dance

and anybody can have fun with dance.

MUSIC: Freakshow On The Dance Floor by The Bar-Kays

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I found a kind of fluency

in Tom's work, which was very pleasing,

and I particularly liked the duet.

I found it really witty and I really kind of got the story.

I think he made some great choices tonight. I loved his duet.

I loved the characterisation, the movement.

My highlight was dancing with Max.

That's the first time I've ever done a duo.

Yeah, all the hard work paid off, so I'm really happy.

Still to come in this street dance final,

17-year-old Kate Morris...

..and 21-year-old Darren Hamilton.

Next to perform, 21-year-old Jodelle Douglas.

This is the second time Jodelle has taken part in the competition,

having reached the category finals in 2015.

I took a lot from it and I've gained a lot of experience

from the show last time,

so I was just very privileged to have got through

to that stage back then, and I'm here again.

My dancing has changed a lot.

Now I have a name for my movement, which I call the art within.

My vision, the person I am today, has changed dramatically.

MUSIC: Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

Since his appearance in BBC Young Dancer two years ago,

Jodelle has moved from his hometown of Bristol to Cardiff.

Back in Bristol, we didn't have the privilege of a dance studio.

Now I've realised that it's really important.

Moving to Cardiff, when I first went in the studio,

I just didn't know what to do with myself.

It's just crazy to have mirrors in front of you,

to be able to just roll along the floor and really, like,

express your movement to the fullest was amazing.

We used to use the shop windows and whatever reflection.

Even to this day, I find it hard to dance to myself in the mirror.

Yeah, and then chest to the other side.

To prepare for his final,

Jodelle has been working with Liara Barussi,

creative director of Cardiff-based Jukebox Collective.

Jodelle's dance has matured, I'd say,

from becoming a dancer to an artist.

He's really come to know himself and identify his vision,

and it's really beautiful to just see how that's developed,

and he has a very clear identity

of how he wants to present his work as an artist.

I want people to see the change - the change in the vision,

my movement, and the direction I'm taking me, as an artist, in.

I just want to be able to express what I feel inside to people

and, yeah, whoever gets inspired, then good on you.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-When I'm waiting in the wings,

I'm excited just to get out there and just showcase what I do.

Jodelle's first solo is called From The Shadows.

It's just about me being this character

and it's got a little bit of a theme to it, which is my heart,

and I kind of build it throughout the piece

and it affects my movement and my mood.

URBAN MUSIC PLAYS

HEARTBEAT

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jodelle's second solo, titled Fallen Silence,

featured a sinister alter ego.

URBAN MUSIC PLAYS

And, for his duet,

Jodelle teams up with Matthew Mindtrick Holt.

MUSIC: Lotus by Canvas

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jodelle has this mysterious character

that you want to know and that you want to understand.

He's a unique mover. I like the quality that he has.

He can dance very big

and, also, he can dance very minute and minuscule.

He's got a great quality about him.

The crowd was amazing,

just that energy in the room - loving it, so all good.

Next to dance, and the only female in this street dance final,

Kate Morris from Maesteg in South Wales.

MUSIC: Baby Girl by Mofak

Dance is my go-to.

Like, if I'm down, if I'm happy, I'm always dancing.

Like, there's not a day where I don't dance.

It's everything for me.

I started dancing at the age of three and a half

in my hometown, Maesteg, at Miss Sian Dixon's ballet school.

It's always been in my life. It has never not been in my life.

Two, two, three. One, two, three. Two, two, three.

Kate is now studying dance

as part of a performing arts diploma at Bridgend College.

I'm doing jazz and contemporary and ballet.

I feel like all dance intertwines, like, of course.

Like, the performance,

when you get on a stage, you perform, you're a performer.

You're not just flouncing around the stage.

You are there to show off what you can do,

so, yeah, I do feel like they all link in some way.

Two. One, two, four, one.

Kate first discovered a love for street dance

when she took up classes at Jukebox Studios in Cardiff,

where she now teaches in her spare time.

I love being in the studio every second of every minute of every day.

It's where it all started. It is my life, so...

Like Jodelle, Kate has been working with Jukebox Collective's

creative director Liara Barussi

to prepare for this street dance final.

Let's talk about your piece.

'I start a new piece with a story in my head.

'It's normally already planned out in my head,

'just how I'm going to'

embody it in the movement.

Kate really understands her movement.

She understands how to story tell or to describe an emotion.

She really has a bit more of a personal relationship with dance.

-SHE LAUGHS

-You're making me laugh!

There's loads of dancers in there. Like, there's a lot. I just do...

I, like, want to stand out from the crowd and be very unique.

The preparations for the category finals are so exciting.

I'm ready. I'm confident with all my three pieces, so I'm ready to go.

Kate's first dance is called Lotus.

I called it Lotus because they grow up to be a beautiful thing,

so that's what I feel like I am doing within the dance.

MUSIC: Bad Blood by NAO

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

For her duet, Kate teamed up with dancer Evion Hackett

to perform a piece titled Kindred.

She ends her performance with another self-choreographed work

called Drifter.

MUSIC: HSKT by Sylvan Esso

It's literally about me, my personality.

It's like a bedroom scene, how, like, I just like to dance.

-Like, any distractions, I'm like...

-SHE SIGHS

I just want to... Just let me dance!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I just loved watching Kate.

She brought a real special quality.

I just found her very fascinating

because she just seemed very different to the other dancers.

Kate's a thinker. I like her presentation.

It's not just about her movement, it's about what happens around it.

So, the context she's putting her dance into

is really interesting and really entertaining at the same time.

Being up there on stage, they just come to life, my performances,

so I'm really happy with all of them.

The atmosphere backstage has been, like, amazing.

Everyone's hugging each other, like, "Oh, yeah, sick. Well done."

Last to perform in this street dance final

is 21-year-old Darren Hamilton from Glasgow.

I don't think I ever thought

that dancing was going to be a major part of my life.

I think it was just one of those things that just kind of happened.

Once I was involved, it's like there was no getting out of it.

Originally from Fife, Darren moved to Glasgow two years ago

to develop his dancing.

The dancing's good in Glasgow.

Once you're here, you kind of fall in love with it,

so there was no going back after that.

He's a freestyler -

a form of street dance that's largely improvisational.

The style of dance that I do is popping.

It's like we've got a tool box of styles,

and we can use it any way we want and we can create anything we want.

We just have fun with it. It's fun.

When he's not dancing,

Darren works as an apprentice chef in a busy hotel.

I do enjoy my work. I'm finding a real passion for it,

as much as a passion for my dancing,

so it's good that I've got two things in my life

that I really enjoy, you know.

Like, after a shift, you're really tired

and you're trying to motivate yourself to dance,

but as soon as you start, like,

the training's worth it and you enjoy it.

Twice a week, Darren attends Dimestop,

a collective promoting the popping dance style.

Dimestop was set up basically to build the scene

and make sure that, if people were teaching it,

they were teaching it right. When I started dancing,

it was like just learning from videos and copying stuff.

But when I came to Dimestop,

I noticed a difference because I was learning the real popping,

and there's a massive growth in me,

so, like, that's why I love it here so much.

I feel pumped. Like, there is a definite rush.

It's an excitement, as well, like,

cos I've never done nothing quite like this.

And everybody's really good, like,

and it's exciting just to be part of it.

To begin, Darren is freestyling to a track by Justice

called Waters Of Nazareth.

MUSIC: Waters Of Nazareth by Justice

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

For his duet, Darren is joined by his friend Stephen Blake.

Working with Stephen is perfect.

Like, when we dance on our own, a lot of the time,

our doubts and anxieties hold us back with what we're doing.

But when we're on stage together, I think we become, like,

really cheeky lads. Just enjoy ourselves.

MUSIC: Feel Like That by Dogg Master

And to bring this street dance final to a close,

Darren's final piece is titled To My Soul.

MUSIC: To My Soul by Jerry Folk

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Darren, I thought, made some really,

really strong choices

and was very entertaining.

You can see his maturity within his technique.

He comes, really, from an improvisation background,

as a freestyler, and it was good to see him

develop characters on stage.

When you're there, you see all the faces and that

and you're like, "Oh, my days. This is a big performance."

It went really well. I did what I set out to do and I enjoyed it.

Darren Hamilton bringing this BBC Young Dancer

street dance final to a close.

If you'd like to see all of tonight's performances in full,

check out our website...

Now, before we have the result,

here's a quick reminder of all the dancers.

I thought it was an absolutely terrific evening.

As a judge, it was very tough because each one of them had

a very special quality.

The standard tonight was amazing,

very energetic, very well thought through.

All five dancers used popping,

but they all brought the technique with their own character,

so it was really versatile and really interesting to watch.

To try and find who was the best was quite a difficult task.

Their performative skills were very, very impressive

and I really enjoyed watching all of them.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I would like to begin by congratulating

each and every one of the dancers that we saw tonight.

I'm really pleased to announce

that the winner of the BBC Young Dancer 2017

street dance final is...

Jodelle Douglas.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

-You really deserve it. Very well done.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jodelle, I really liked because of his character,

and because of the creativity of his movement.

I think there's an element of his virtuosity, but also

he kept it real, so there was a great amount of integrity.

He delivered, to a very good standard

on all the three pieces of performance.

All three of the judges were very impressed.

It's something, like, above technique that we were looking for

and Jodelle was definitely a winner tonight.

-PHONE RINGS ON PHONE:

-'Jodelle?'

Hi, Mum. I won.

'Oh, my goodness! That's amazing!'

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Being able to, like, express is just amazing

and to actually win, it's just a bonus, you know.

It's a cherry on top. So, yeah, very happy.

Jodelle Douglas - the winner of this year's street dance final.

A huge congratulations to him.

We'll be seeing him again in four weeks' time

when the competition moves here, to Sadler's Wells,

for the grand final of BBC Young Dancer 2017.

Next week, five more dancers are out to impress our expert jury

as we turn the spotlight on ballet.

It can grab your attention like that and suck you in.

We do dance because we love to do it.

It's not all serious all the time. Yeah, there's fun with it, so...

It's exciting. It's terrifying.

It means quite a lot to me that, all the work that I put in,

I can show to other people.

Never done a competition like BBC Young Dancer.

-It's really great.

-When you're on stage,

it just feels so natural and it's just a beautiful feeling.

The winner of the BBC Young Dancer 2017

ballet final is...