Bebe's tapping into a winning streak to dance to the top

Bebe has been tap dancing at the Jean Marks School of Dancing since she was three years old and has so far won four individual bronze medals for the England team.

The youngster simply loves dancing, saying: ‘I love to dance – it’s amazing and I really enjoy going to the World Cup because I get to be with all my friends.’

Along with her lessons and competitions, Bebe, of North End, Portsmouth, appears at festivals across the country on a regular basis.

She practises every night, whether she is attending a lesson or not.

The Dance World Cup is the largest international dance competition in the world.

This year the team will travel to Jersey for the competition, which starts on June 25.

There are more than 12,000 competitors from 38 different countries.

Bebe, just like in previous years, has managed to get over the first hurdle of beating thousands of other dancers to get her spot on the England team.

She will be joined by members of the Marie Clarke School Of Dance, who are also from Portsmouth. This is their second year of competing.

England manager Jo Arnett said that it is an achievement in itself to be picked for the team as she watches thousands of videos of dancers, assesses them with a panel of judges and then selects just three for each category who have the right attitude and skill for the team.

The England team has seen success at the championships, as it has come top of the overall medal table for three years running – even getting a letter of congratulations from the Queen last year.

In Jo’s eyes, dancing is a great way for children to spend their time.

‘It’s healthy exercise, teaches them to be part of a team and will help massively later in life,’ she said.

Bebe will be competing in the nine-and-under section in the Mini Tap and the Mini Song and Dance section.

She has also been selected to be one of the two mascots.

This means at the opening ceremony Bebe, along with second mascot Chloe Fenton and a flag bearer who is yet to be confirmed, will lead the team out into the crowd.

During the competition there will be a live stream on the organisation’s website at www.dwcworld.com/home