A troupe of dancers from a Shaftesbury dance school have returned with a clutch of awards from a national competition.

Dancers aged 11 to 65 years old from the Caron Parry School of Dance scooped five firsts and 17 other placings at the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) Grand Final in Ballroom and Latin American Dancing in Blackpool.

The five first places went to Samantha Pearcey, 14, in the U16 Primary Ballroom and the U16 Primary Latin,

Anaya Mudoti, 15, won the U16 Bronze Ballroom, Julie Sykes, 65, won the O65 Social Dance Test Ballroom and Tatiana Smith won the O35 Social Dance Test Latin.

Second places went to Anaya for the U16 Bronze Latin and Tatiana for the O35 Social Dance Test Ballroom.

Third places went to Hannah Stone, 15, for the U16 Social Dance Test Latin, Uliana Smith, 13, for both the U16 To Bronze Ballroom and the U16 To Bronze Latin, Emma Hurst for the U35 Social Dance Test Ballroom, Julie Sykes for the O65 Social Dance Test Latin and to Helen Kunze and Emma Hurst for the U40 To Bronze Latin Couples. Fourth places went to Hannah Stone in the U16 Social Dance Test Ballroom, Megan Parry, 13, in the U16 Silver Ballroom and Megan and Samantha in the U16 Silver/Gold Couples.

And the following were awarded a fifth place: Megan in the U16 Silver Latin, Elizabeth Love, 14, in the U16 Bronze Ballroom, Christopher in the O65 Pre Bronze Latin and Christopher and Julie in the O65 Bronze Couples Ballroom.

Anaya and Elizabeth were eighth in the U16 Bronze Couples Ballroom.

By Miranda Robertson