A spectacular evening of dance involving talented local and visiting dance companies has raised £1,400 to support young cancer patients.

The annual Dance Beats Cancer show featured a variety of dance genres including ballet, contemporary, street, fusion, Chinese, commercial, breaking and popping.

The event, staged at Bournemouth Lifecentre and hosted by Ashley Knight, was in aid of  Youth Cancer Trust.

The Dance Beats Cancer project began in 2015.

The aim was to create a piece of dance for a film to raise awareness about the work of the Youth Cancer Trust.

The resulting film featured stunning Dorset scenery and included all types of dance genres.

As well as local and professional dancers, it featured artists, graffiti artists, a fire performer, magician and an acrobat.

Also included was footage of a community dance day on Bournemouth seafront, pictured left, with more than 200 participants.

The film’s narrative tells the story of a young person’s cancer journey with music by local music producer Fraser Freeze.

Ashley Banjo, from Diversity, sent the team a message of support when the film was released in 2017.

It was launched during an evening of dance performance and proved so successful that it’s now become an annual event.

The film subsequently went on to win Silver in its category at the Charity Film Awards in 2019.

The annual shows boast an impressive array of talent with past and present performers featuring on TV shows such as Britain’s Got Talent, The Next Steps, The Greatest Dancer and Got to Dance.

This year’s host, Ashley Knight, pictured left with two of the dancers, was choreographer for the Dance Beats Cancer film.

His own dance group, Deviation, performed in the show.

Wendy Parrott, of the Youth Cancer Trust, said the Dance Beats Cancer film and shows had not only met the goal to raise awareness about the charity but also gained national recognition.

They had also built a huge community of friends and supporters sharing their talents and giving their time in support of young people with cancer.

Wendy added: “Our aim is to keep growing and sharing our work so that we can reach out to more young cancer patients in need of support.

“We strive to make our annual dance shows bigger each year and fill them with jaw-dropping performances.

“We create an atmosphere where everyone is welcome and valued, from seasoned professionals to first time performers.”

The  award-winning Dance Beats Cancer film can be seen by clicking here.

Youth Cancer Trust provides free activity holidays and online support to young people, aged 14 to 30, living with cancer.

• youthcancertrust.org

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Gallery: Dance Beats Cancer show – pictures by Daniel Keckes.