A pair of young dancers from Watford rocked the stage when they came first in a national competition earlier this month.

Olivia Young and Eleanor Howard, both 11, wowed the judges at the Guildford finals with their routine in the rock and roll category.

Queens’ School student Olivia also claimed first prize in the under-12s solo section at the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) competition, on October 9.

The Moonglow Dance Studios members qualified after two regional heats and practiced their routines twice a week for six months leading up to the competition.

Olivia, of Hibbert Avenue, said: “We were really pleased, it is hard work – some of the moves are quite fast and every year we learn new, faster ones.”

The dancers, who came first a few years ago in the under-8s competition and were runners-up at last year’s finals, took on 50 of the country’s most talented young performers to claim the title.

Parmiter’s School student Eleanor said: “We were very proud, we thought we would do well as we have practiced really hard but it was still a surprise when they called our name.”

The girls’ choreography was put together by dance teacher Bobbie Chatt, and the Watford studios had 108 students in total at the finals.

The girl’s qualification meant a long day for their mothers who drove them to Guildford for 8am before the 12-hour day finished at 8pm.

Olivia’s mother Hazel said: “We’re very proud of them, they really enjoy it. We want to say well done to all of the dancers at Moonglow who got to the final and won in other categories.”