A TEENAGE dancer from Ringwood is set to appear in a music video shot in Hollywood.

After impressing the likes of Kimberly Wyatt of the Pussycat Dolls at a dance convention, Elizabeth Dadford, 15, was awarded the chance to perform in a music video for artists Lexi Smith and Hello Kylie. It is due to be released in a couple of months.

Elizabeth, a Year 11 student at LeAF Stage and Screen, was given a partial scholarship to train at The Hollywood Summer Tour in preparation for the video, which was shot at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California. She spent four months raising the £7,000 she needed for her 17-day stay there.

“I was so excited and really elated when I got the partial scholarship, but when I thought I couldn’t afford to go I decided to do some fundraising. I did a tuck shop at school every single lunchtime and cake sales across the New Forest. I also set up a fundraising page. People were so generous with their donations.”

Elizabeth said performing in the music video was challenging as it involved commercial dance and performing with world champion street dancers.

“All my life I’ve done ballet, tap and modern, but since going to LeAF I’ve been doing more contemporary and commercial dance,” she explained.

“The music video was really out of my comfort zone but it really pushed me.”

She said the experience involved long days of training and rehearsing difficult choreography, as well as an all-night video shoot.

“We had to get the routine really good. The hardest part was the pressure of always being watched. We were dancing with people from all over the world.

“Universal Studios was awesome. We did a scene in a French café. Then we had to get our hair and make-up done again for the last shot. We got changed into neon clothes and LED shoes.

“There was one chance to do the shot as it had to be at sunrise. We also had to dance on pads with jets of water coming up. It was so slippery but we had to keep dancing.”

Elizabeth’s mum, Krista, said it was “an amazing experience for any young dancer who is serious about a career in commercial dance”.

“It gave a real insight into the life of a professional dancer, including the very long hours of learning and rehearsing difficult choreography, all-night video shoots, and, of course, a taste of the more glamorous side too.”