Teenager Ellie is out to be the greatest dancer

SHE has pirouetted her way from the Capital into the hearts of dance-lovers nationwide.
Photographer: Rahul BhattPhotographer: Rahul Bhatt
Photographer: Rahul Bhatt

And now, Ellie Ferguson is potentially one routine away from a place in the final of one of the country’s largest dance competitions.

The 14-year-old has beaten competition from thousands of other hopefuls to make it to the semi-finals of the BBC One showcase ‘The Greatest Dancer’ and is now set to take on five other acts for a place in the live final.

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Judges on the show, including Ellie’s dance captain - professional latin-American and Ballroom dancer - Oti Mabuse, chose her in the final three last week, giving her a place in the semis.

As the last solo act left in the competition, Ellie faces an uphill battle to make the final cut.

But the teenager, from Livingston, says she is well up for the challenge and hopes to 
follow the judges’ advice of filling the stage with her personality.

She told the Evening News: “I was completely shocked when Oti picked me. I didn’t ever expect to get this far in the competition and to have a team captain as inspiring as Oti is amazing.”

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“I think Oti may have chosen me because I made her very emotional when I danced. I think she sees the potential in me.”

The competition saw tens of thousands from across the country audition for a place on the show, with Ellie joined in the semi-final by KLA, Harry & Eleiyah, Dane Bates Collective, James & Oliver and Frobacks.

Contestants are set a challenge which they then work on with their dance captain and perform live, before voting opens to the public.

Ellie’s route to the final has been complicated by juggling her National Five prelim exams with rehearsals, but she admits it would be a “dream come true” to reach the final stage.

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“It has been tough to manage, but well worth it,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to dance, ever since I was little. Once I started and got really interested in it, I started to watch other dancers who began to inspire me to work harder.”

As one of the regular professional dancers featured on Strictly Come Dancing, Ellie said she could not have hoped for a better role model than Oti, who reached the latter stages of the 2018 edition alongside former England cricketer Graeme Swann.

She said: “I have watched Strictly since I was a little girl and loved Oti straight away.”

“I think she was the most passionate and emotional.”

Ellie admittes she hoped winning the show would give her a platform to go on to bigger things in the industry, adding she has her eyes set on a career in dance in the United States.

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Asked what she would do if she won next week and what she hopes the future holds, she said: “I would love to go to a really good dance college and then go on to perform professionally.”

“I still have a lot to learn, but I always give my all.

“I always have the drive to keep going.”

Ellie added: “It would be a dream to work for Matthew Bourne, Nederlands Dans Theater or a Contemporary Company in America. I would love to get an opportunity to dance for Billie Eilish.”

The Greatest Dancer semi final airs tonight on BBC One at 7.30.