Tipperary teenager wins Dancer of the Year award

A Clonmel dance student recently won the coveted title of Dancer of the Year.

17-year-old Kyle Doyle is a student at AOK-Dance, and having qualified to take part in the senior section of the Dancer of the Year lyrical dance event, which took place in Dublin in October, he was chosen as the overall winner in the senior section.

He was thrilled to be awarded the title, particularly as he was up against such tough competition of talented male and female dancers from around the country and further afield.

Kyle has been a student of AOK-Dance since the age of 10, where he takes classes in ballet, pointe, lyrical dance and contemporary ballet. His natural flair, combined with training and understanding of technique, has helped him grow into the dancer he is today.

His teacher and owner of AOK-Dance, Aoife O’Keeffe said, “Kyle is fully deserving of the award. His hard work, commitment and dedication has paid off. He is constantly trying to better himself and takes on board everything that is taught in class, and fully understands the benefits of ballet.

“He is also one of only a few boys in the country his age that are learning pointe, an area that had traditionally been limited to female dancers, but has moved away from this more and more in recent years.

“Kyle is a great role model for any boys who are interested in dance. Dance is gaining more popularity amongst boys, and there are two boys-only contemporary dance classes in AOK-Dance”.

Kyle also recently returned from the World Championships in Scotland, along with a number of other students from AOK-Dance, where they received fantastic group and individual results in lyrical, acro and jazz, with numerous podium finishes.

AOK-Dance is a Clonmel-based dance school. In addition to numerous classes in ballet and lyrical dance, there are also classes for boys only, additional needs students, adult dance, one-to-one, as well as pointe, and progressing ballet technique.

The school places an emphasis on encouraging creativity, building confidence, nurturing a love of dance, and opportunities for all.

SEE ALSO: Gardaí announce more patrols in Clonmel in the run-up to Christmas