Inverness schoolboy makes world dance championship

Highland News & Media

An Inverness teenager has made his dream a reality as he has been selected to represent Scotland at this year's world dance championship.

Transcript

00:00 He was in nursery, just before he left nursery they were all asked to do a picture of what they want to be when they're older

00:05 and his was a gymnastics boy

00:08 (music)

00:19 Play ball! (whistle)

00:21 (music)

00:43 So, yeah, so I think it's just been ever since then, he's just a proper little character.

00:51 Even that, you can see the difference in him, like when he's away with all his dance friends

00:56 and even around the dance parents, it's like he properly comes out of his shell

01:01 because around people he doesn't really know or he's not comfortable with, he can be very, very shy.

01:07 So, if you don't know him, to look at him you would think, you would never think, dancer up on a stage.

01:13 Like even that, if you ask him to tell people about what he does, he's like, "No, no, no mum, you tell them."

01:21 So you would never think the difference in that little boy that you might ask questions to

01:26 in comparison to them when you see him dancing, it's like night and day.

01:30 The confidence it gives him is out of this world.

01:35 Ollie didn't start talking until he was probably about four or five.

01:42 Like, very well, he used to whisper in his brother's ear, like, "Won't you speak to me?"

01:46 Like, very, very shy. That then around like five years old when he started,

01:53 he didn't even, he probably started singing before he started talking.

01:58 He was the same, like, he was very late at like walking as well,

02:02 but he would sit and like bum shuffle and like dance to music.

02:05 It's a shame because in a way sometimes, like, he's embarrassed to tell people that he dances.

02:12 Like, it's like fire. And that's probably quite fitting because he's got like fiery,

02:17 like bright red hair as well. But that, that is what he's like.

02:21 [Music]

02:40 Get loud for Team Love Cheer!

02:42 Like, the faces and that that he pulls, it's like this pure attitude comes out of him.

02:48 And it's weird because he's done all different styles of dancing as well.

02:51 So even though he's going this year and he's doing like,

02:54 pom and hip hop, which are really like upbeat, really fast.

02:57 Last year in America, he was dancing lyrical, which is obviously very slow, like,

03:02 like has to be like elegant. So, and even still with that,

03:08 you've seen the like fire coming out of him when he's dancing like really slowly.

03:12 Like, and I think like every dance teacher that has ever like spoke to me about him,

03:17 like they see that in him as well. Like, he is in the dance school that he goes to,

03:23 he's the only boy there. And there's probably about a hundred odd dancers,

03:28 like within different age groups. And he's the only boy. And has been for years. I think when

03:33 he joined, there was two other boys, but they, as they got older, they got into football and

03:37 whatever else. But when we go away to competitions, even like all the girls are like,

03:43 oh, you're like a celebrity. Like he can't, like, he can't go about, like parents will come up and

03:48 ask to get pictures with him. They're like, oh my God, there's Ollie. Like it's, it's so strange.

03:53 Like to me, I'm like, why, why is that group of like 30, 40 year old women wanting pictures with

03:59 a sick, at the time, like 10, 11 year old boy. But it's the same, like there's so many people

04:04 like recognizing from coaches to parents because he does stand out, not just because he's a boy,

04:10 but because of how he dances. It's just, it's crazy.

04:14 It's, it's amazing. And how do you feel as a mother to Ollie?

04:20 I'll start crying. Yeah, I do. Because I think like when, maybe like primary seven,

04:30 and even this year, like going into high school, like he does still get a lot of stick for doing it,

04:35 but he's got to that point. He's just like, I don't care. Like, like me doing what I do makes

04:40 me happy. So I'm going to keep doing it. Like, I don't care if they want to call me names and call

04:45 me this or call me that because as well, like he's obviously got bright red hair. He doesn't look like

04:52 a dancer. And I know that probably sounds a bit wrong for me to say, but to look at him, you

04:57 wouldn't think what a good dancer, like you probably wouldn't think dancer very much at all,

05:02 but he is. And he's, he's just amazing. And I think there has been a lot of kind of tough times.

05:09 And I think it does still happen. Like even still now, there's obviously people in high school that

05:14 don't know Ollie as Ollie. So when you've got different schools all coming together,

05:20 there's obviously your typical boy that plays football and like doesn't dance or whatever,

05:25 like they do still take a look at him, like comment on his weight, his hair, his dancing.

05:31 And I think sometimes I think he hides it very well, but other times I think he just thinks,

05:37 you know what, like it shows more about, and that's what he says as well,

05:42 it shows more about them and like if they're being horrible. I'm like, yeah, you remember that.

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