Eleven-year-old dancers experience 'real Strictly'

Two eleven-year-old dancers who competed at the British National Dance Championships have described the experience as both "exciting" and "nerve-wracking".

Chloe and Leo, both from Southampton, said they train together multiple times a week and often practice over FaceTime.

They have been dancing together for just over a year and said they are aiming to compete for the British national team.

Ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final, BBC iPlayer went behind the scenes to follow the stories of Chloe and Leo, as well as adult couples, who competed in the nation's biggest ballroom dance competition.

The two young dancers competed in the juvenile latin and ballroom categories for performers aged between 6-to-12.

The competition, that was celebrating its 50th anniversary, was held in November at the Blackpool Empress ballroom.

Although Leo and Chloe have not been partners for long, they already have titles under their belt, having come 3rd in the world in the juvenile category at the Dutch Open dance championships in Assen, The Netherlands.

They are champions in the American Smooth [category] at the European Championships.

Chloe, who started dancing at two years old, said her favourite dance was Foxtrot, while Leo, who started at five, said his was Waltz.

Asked how he felt before performing at this years competition, Leo said he felt "ready."

"I just have a rush of excitement," he said. "Having the judges there makes me perform better, because it means I need to impress them."

Chloe, on the other hand, said she usually felt more nervous before performances.

"It's a bit nerve-wracking," she said.

"What if I trip over, what if I bump myself? But then when I start dancing, the dance rushes through my head, so then I'm okay."

After their performances, the dancers said they would celebrate by going to the arcade.

Their final performance, as well as the results of their competition, was captured in a documentary, The Real Strictly Come Dancing.

The full documentary is available to watch on BBC iPlayer here.