Portsmouth dance teacher's delight as her team named as England squad for world championships in Rome

Nicole Romasz will head to Rome with her squad of youngsters in June, where they will go head to head with teams from 60 countries.

The 25-year-old, who honed her skills in Portsmouth before setting up her own street dance group Allstarz Romasz Elite in Hereford, said she was ‘stunned’ to be selected to represent England.

‘The pupils were amazed and so excited when they found out, the group has only been going for a year and a half and some of them had never done street dance before, so this is a real achievement for all of us,’ she added.

‘They thought I was joking when I told them, they couldn’t believe it. It’s a dream come true for them all.’

The squad’s video audition beat thousands of others to earn them a spot on the national side.

And in a remarkable achievement, the team will be representing England in the 18-25 category - despite most of them barely being in their teens, with the youngest member aged just nine.

Nicole added: ‘The pressure is really on us now. The oldest girl in the team is 19, which means we all have to compete in an adult category. But we’re ready to show what we can do.’

This will be the first time the group has entered an international competition, and they are looking forward to the opportunity to travel to Italy.

They have previously competed in competitions around the UK, including ones in Fratton and Havant last year.

Nicole, who was born in Portsmouth and still has family in the area, relished the opportunity to come home for these events to ‘share her group’s achievements with her friends and family’.

She added: ‘I love coming back home and it means a lot to me to have my team come back here too.’

Nicole started her dance career at Southsea School of Dance at the age of seven, where she attended ballet classes for five years before moving onto stage school and then the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts college.

Her team is now preparing routines for two categories in Rome: street dancing and commercial dance.

They’re also looking for sponsors to help them pay for flights to Italy and fund their outfits.

‘Any help people can give us would make a huge difference,’ she added.

To find out how to help, email [email protected] or call 07712264969.