Little Lewis Tutty lights up Blackpool ballroom dancing contest

A DANCING schoolboy from Cottingham is whirling his way to success in a string of competitions around the country.

Nine-year-old Lewis Tutty has been strutting his stuff for four years.

With partner Emily Jenner, nine, he lit up the stage in a ballroom competition in Blackpool.

Lewis's grandmother Terri Milner said he had always loved to dance.

"He started when he was five," she said.

"In Lewis's very first competition he took first place in the classical solo.

"With the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing, children are looking at ballroom again."

Lewis, who is a pupil at Hallgate Primary school, was shy about his dancing at first.

But when he and Emily made it to the Champions of Tomorrow ballroom finals at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, he found the confidence to tell his peers.

"To start with, Lewis didn't want to tell anybody he danced," said Ms Milner, 65.

"But for his last birthday, they did a few little dances and he brought it up at school so it wasn't a secret anymore.

"You can't make children do something – they've got to really want to do it."

Lewis trains at the Rhythm And Dreams Dancing Centre in Hessle High Road.

The Blackpool performance, which secured him and Emily fifth place, was the culmination of months of hard work.

Ms Milner's heart was in her mouth just watching.

"He was against Russians and Polish dancers who were all in it to win it but he did so well," she said. "I was nervous myself.

"It was awesome. It was jam-packed with people and they never batted an eyelid.

"They just went out and danced their socks off."

Lewis's mum Kirstine Milner danced when she was younger.

But Terri is not really sure where her grandson gets it from.

She said: "His mum danced from three to 18 but she did early tap and modern.

"She didn't do ballroom, so she was quite surprised that he wanted to do it.

"But people are now thinking ballroom is a social thing and I think it's coming back."

The schoolboys skills certainly attracted attention on a holiday to Tunisia.

"He was asked by a lot of older ladies to dance," Ms Milner said.

Visit www.rhythm-and -dreams.co.uk to find out more about the dance school.