Castlederg Dance School celebrates world cup success as six young dancers qualify for Team NI

A SMALL but fast-rising dance school in Castlederg is celebrating a major international achievement after six of its dancers qualified to represent Northern Ireland at the prestigious Dance World Cup 2026.

FlipStarz Acro & Dance, owned by Castlederg woman Melissa Devenney, is only two years in operation, yet has already secured places for its dancers on Team NI at the world’s largest dance competition. The Dance World Cup will take place from July 8 to July 13, bringing together more than 25,000 dancers from over 70 countries across a two-week period.

The dancers selected from FlipStarz are Ava Harper, Nevaeh Devenney, Katie Kerrigan, Reidhe Breslin, Rosa Donaghey and Alanna Irwin, all from the Castlederg area, except for Reidge, who is from Strabane.

Speaking about the achievement, studio owner and coach Melissa Devenney said the success came as a complete surprise.

“We really weren’t expecting to make it through this year, as it is our first year of entry and we’re a relatively new school. We’ve only been open two years, and the girls have just one year of competitive dance behind them. A lot of the other schools have been dancing competitively for much longer, so we were absolutely delighted.”

Among those qualifying is Nevaeh Devenney, Melissa’s daughter and a Year 10 pupil from Loreto Grammar School, Omagh, who has achieved exceptional success. Nevaeh qualified as a four-time soloist and was also ranked number one in Northern Ireland in her category, despite having to compete in an older age group due to her date of birth.

“Nevaeh had to dance up a category and compete against 14–16-year-olds, which made it even harder,” Melissa explained. “For her to come out ranked number one in the country is a great achievement.”

Also qualifying is Ava Harper, a Year 8 pupil also from Loreto Grammar School, Omagh, who recently placed second at the All-Ireland Championships with her lyrical solo. Ava will represent Northern Ireland both as a soloist and as part of a commercial duet with Nevaeh, after the pair ranked third in the country at qualifiers, earning them an automatic Team NI place. Remarkably, Ava also danced up in the 14–16 age category.

Melissa said the qualification process was intense, with auditions and training running non-stop from late December.

“We were in the studio every hour from December 30. They only take the top four dancers in each category with substantial scores, so it really is the best of the best.”

The emotional moment the girls found out they had qualified is one the studio won’t forget.

“There were tears of joy. We did a wee party where each child got a balloon and a golden ticket, and they scratched it to see which dances had qualified. It was such a special moment.”

While Ireland is hosting the Dance World Cup, easing travel costs, the competition still brings significant expenses. FlipStarz is now undertaking rigorous fundraising to support the dancers.

“It has been quite costly. We have a GoFundMe page set up and a number of local businesses are sponsoring individual children. People have been so good to us so far, but we’ll keep at it.”

Donations can be made via the fundraising page at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/

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Melissa teaches three classes a week in her studio in Strabane on Thursday. FlipStarz currently has around 120 students, and recently expanded into a brand-new premises with two studios, a full acro suite equipped with inflatables and a mirrored dance studio with ballet bars. Melissa works alongside head dance teacher Amber King, who is PGC-qualified and trained in England.

“Amber and I make a great team. I focus mainly on acro and flexibility, while Amber does a lot of the choreography. She’s incredibly talented.”

The school is also preparing for upcoming competitions, including Ulster Fusion in Armagh, with a full squad set to compete.

“Last weekend alone we were at the All-Irelands and then got the news about the Dance World Cup. It’s been a very busy time, but an incredibly proud one.”

For a small, relatively new dance school, qualifying six dancers for the world’s biggest dance competition marks a remarkable milestone, and one that Castlederg will no doubt be cheering on next summer.