DANCE academy pupils have taken part in their first national competition of the year.

Boogie Shoes Dance Academy, based in Harwich, competed at the Imperial Society of Teachers Dancing’s disco freestyle and rock and roll competition.

The event took place on Sunday, January 30 and was the ISTD’s first competition without restrictions since March 2020.

Boogie Shoes had 19 members qualify for the national grand finals qualifiers with ages ranging from five to 21.

Katie Gooch, founder of the group, said she was proud of the dancers.

She said: “This year Boogie Shoes Dance Academy turns 16 and we are celebrating not just an amazing 16 years, but the end of the hardest two years ever with a huge whole school dance show in the summer.

“We’ve come out of the pandemic stronger than we went in, and that’s all down to the commitment and hard work of the dancers.”