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UEL student’s antics earns him place in final of live TV dance show

Friday 9 March 2012

Got to Dance

University of East London urban dance student, Joe Priest, and his self-taught street act, Antics Dance Crew, flew into the finals of Sky1’s Got to Dance at the weekend. Antics stood out against thousands of other applicants to reach the final and give the performance of their lives in front of a crowd of over 6,000 people.

Joe and the rest of his crew, Oscar McDevitt, Matthew Grieh, Nathan Marsh and Jordan Breakspear were one of just ten finalists to wow the crowd and judges at the London Olympia in their bid for the £250,000 prize.

The final, which took place on Sunday, saw Antics pull out all the stops for what they hoped would be a winning performance, although despite their best efforts the crew just lost out to Irish dance act Prodijig.

Joe said of performing on the final of the hit show: “There was an amazing atmosphere in the studio and the noise was ridiculous. We were told we were opening the show the day before, so that was quite nerve wracking, but quite a privilege as well.”

After receiving a standing ovation from the judges, Ashley Banjo, from the dance crew Diversity, said: "Guys I stood up because you are a class act.”

Adding: "You're so inventive, nothing is generic, everything is different; you've carved a really strong identity with two performances. It's so hard to stand out in the street world, we see hundreds of crews and I know exactly who you are and what you're about."

The crew, who have been together for less than a year, met outside a supermarket when Nathan and Joe noticed fellow members Oscar and Joe practicing their moves. Returning to UEL today, Jo has vowed that Antics will continue.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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