Ten years on, the 15-year-old Peter Moyes Anglican Community School student and Weekender HBF junior sports hero nominee is preparing to represent WA on the international stage at the World Hip Hop Battleground Championships, in Sydney next month.
Since arriving in Australia from the UK 10 months ago, Rebecca auditioned and successfully got into a newly-formed hip-hop dance group ” Clique Crew ” which will go into the competition as part of a mega crew, called The Society.
Rebecca said to be competing in the championship is a testament to all the hard work the dancers have been putting in.
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READ NOW‘I can’t believe that I am competing for a world title so soon and to be representing WA is amazing,’ she said.
Although Rebecca will take to the stage as a hip-hop dancer in December, the street style of dance is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her ability.
She originally trained in classical ballet, tap, modern, jazz and gymnastics, before she decided to try hip-hop at the age of eight after classes were introduced at her former dance school in the UK.
‘The teacher asked if I would join his own dance school, which specialised in all forms of hip hop.
‘Eventually I was chosen to join a new crew called Masters of Motion, which became the top U14 hip hop crew in the UK, winning every major competition in the advanced category, including the world championships in 2011.’
Rebecca has always continued to take classical dance lessons as well as hip-hop, which results in a busy dance schedule and juggling school work. She also has a health condition to manage.
‘I’m a Type 1 diabetic, so I do regular tests to check my blood glucose levels when I am dancing and make sure I have plenty of snacks on me in case I need them.
‘As I’ve had diabetes since I was five years old, it’s a routine that I am used to.’
In March, Rebecca danced at the Perth Convention Centre for the Halogen Foundation, an event for schoolchildren to promote leadership.
She hopes to complete her dance training at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts when she’s older and pursue a career in dance.
Her mum Suzanne Foyle said she was very proud of her daughter, who has never let diabetes stop her pursuing her passion.
‘Dance and sport has made so much difference to her life,’ Mrs Foyle said.