‘Absolutely crazy’ achievement for Smash It at Dance Championships

“WE HAD three teams going this year,” explains Nadia of Tallaght-based Smash It Dance Academy, regarding their recent participation in the SOAR British Championships 2026 in Manchester, England.

Three teams that participated included an under-16 newcomer team, an under-12 team, and a more experienced under-16 team; a parents’ team also travelled to Manchester.

The two under-16 teams both finished in first place in their categories; the parents’ team came second, and the under-12s team came sixth.

The competition took place from March 6 to 8 at the BEC (Bowlers Exhibition Centre) Arena.

On March 29, Smash It also participated in a World of Dance event in Drogheda in the TLT Theatre.

This featured teams from all over the world competing for a chance to qualify for the World Dance Championships, with Nadia mentioning a team from the Netherlands, one from Italy, and another from India as examples.

As mentioned above, the under-12s team had finished sixth place in their category in Manchester, which “didn’t sit well with them”, so once they came back to Ireland, they trained “non-stop” for three weeks for this next event.

The team ended up finishing second in the event, qualifying for the Championships in Los Angeles in August later this year.

Nadia beams, citing the achievement as “absolutely crazy” while also expressing concern about the financial feasibility of sending the team to Los Angeles.

When asked about highlights from the two events, Nadia shares that the kids enjoyed participating in the competitions and the support from the parents.

The parents’ team also performed in Manchester, and a highlight for the kids was seeing them dance together.

Challenges of preparing for the competitions, included getting pieces, costumes, and music ready.

In regard to future projects or competitions, Nadia and the team hope to get sponsorship or funding to afford to go to the aforementioned World of Dance Championships in Los Angeles, as well as the upcoming DanceStars European Championship in Germany.

Their competition teams will also be participating in a new event in the Basketball Arena in May, and 79 children will be travelling to Disneyland Paris in February 2027 to do a workshop with the Disney cast and then a performance.

Nadia goes on to outline a busy schedule for 2026, including a 10th anniversary celebration, an awards show, and an end-of-the-year show from July 11 to 12 in the Kilnamanagh Family Recreation Centre.

She would like to thank the parents for their support, including dropping the children off to classes and paying competition fees, as well as JR Support Services for their sponsorship.