Las Vegas dancing queen brings Wrexham shopping centre alive

A teenage dancing  queen swapped Las Vegas for North Wales to bring a shopping centre alive with style for a major fashion spectacular.

Seven top professional models from across the country were at Eagles Meadow in Wrexham to showcase the very latest designer ranges in an all-action series of fashion shows.

Amongst them in the sun-drenched centre was 15-year-old Georgia Rowley who doubles as a street dance diva when she’s not strutting the catwalk.

A dancing sensation since she was just a tot, back home in Hartlepool Georgia has for the past two years been a member of a street dance crew called the Diamond All-Stars who go through their precision paces in competitions up and down the country.

Last year they battled their way through a round of regional heats to win the hip hop national title, which landed them a place representing the UK in the International Hip Championships staged in Las Vegas.

There they lined up against 2,000 of the world’s finest street dancers from countries including the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Italy, Spain, France, India and Germany.

Georgia says the experience of dancing for a massive audience at the plush Orleans Arena in glittering Las Vegas was “truly unforgettable”.

She said: “It was the chance of a lifetime to compete against the best hip hop dancers from right across the world.

“Being in Las Vegas was great but I’ve really loved coming down to Wrexham to take part in Fashion on the Move.

“Joining all the other models is a real experience but what’s best of all is that because we take the show all over the centre we get to meet and chat to the shoppers who come along to watch us.”

Accompanied by fast-paced music, Georgia and the rest of the models went through their stylish routines to demonstrate the latest autumn and winter must-have fashions for men, women and youngsters at a host of participating shops, many of which were offering discounts.

In Marks & Spencer they temporarily brought the busy café to halt, to the delight of counter coach Maggie Byard, 56, of Wrexham, who found herself dancing along to the vibes.

She said: “I think that bringing a live fashion show right into the shops is just marvellous and I certainly felt envigorated when the models came in.”

The Fashion on the Move cast ended each show on a special catwalk set up in the circular area outside Marks & Spencer to perform even more high-energy routines.

Among the large crowd of shoppers who stopped to watch the action was 15-year-old Courtney Jones from Wrexham, who is a pupil at Darland High School in Rossett.

She said: “It’s so nice to see a live fashion show being performed right in front of you and the way the models danced and showed off the clothes was great. I never expected to see this when I came out today.”

It was a similar story with her friend, 15-year-old Emily Vine from Wrexham, who attends Ysgol Clywedog.

She said: “You don’t often see free live entertainment during the daytime in Wrexham and this was just fantastic. My friends and I couldn’t help stopping to have a look and I’m glad we did.”

The spectacular show was once again put together by stylist and presenter Jill Pollitt, who has 30 years’ experience in the fashion industry and has regularly appeared on ITV’s flagship This Morning show.

She said: “The five shows we did featured the very best on offer at Eagles Meadow for the autumn/winter 2013 season.

“Every time we come back to Eagles Meadow it’s a great experience. The weather is usually kind to us and today was no exception with plenty of sunshine.

“People in the centre are getting to know us and that means there’s a friendly familiarity about the show.

“This is very different for a traditional catwalk show because the models can mix with the shoppers and actually chat to them about the clothes they are wearing.

“It was nice to see many of the shops offering fashion collections for all ages and sizes and this was one of the things the show aimed to highlight.”

Jill, who also appeared as a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model, added: “Myself and the models just love coming to Wrexham because it presents a marvellous staging area and the crowds are always so enthusiastic.

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