UPDATE SATURDAY 4.25PM: Poppy and Dulcie set for Britain’s Got Talent Sunday showdown
Two South Holland youngsters who are part of a dazzling street dance crew now know what opposition they will face in Britain’s Got Talent’s grand final tomorrow.
Poppy Gill (11) of Spalding and Dolcie Simmons (12) of Tydd St Mary, both members of Essex street dancers Entity Allstars, know a £250,000 cash prize and a place at the Royal Variety Performance in London on November 13 could be just a two-minute, show-stopping dance routine away.
Entity Allstars will be up against 11 other acts on the show, to be shown on ITV 1 from 7.30pm until 10pm, including two wildcard acts chosen by the public and judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Williams.
Dolcie’s grandmother, Gillian Tomkins of Tydd St Mary, said: “It’s all a dream to her and she just can’t grasp what’s happening.
“She loves dancing - it’s her life - and she wants to go further with it as a career.
“I’m really proud of her and we’re all hoping that Entity Allstars can pull it off on Sunday.
“To see my granddaughter at the Royal Variety Performance and meeting royalty would be a dream come true for me.”
The wildcards acts will be two out of the five third-placed acts from this week’s live semi-finalists - singer Henry Gallagher, choir Revelation Avenue, dance group IMD Legion, five-piece dance act Boyband and nine-year-old martial artist Jesse-Jane McParland.
Of the other finalists, Welsh choir Cor Glanaethwy, Jules O’Dwyer and her dog Matisse, magician Jamie Raven, teenage singer/pianist Isaac Waddington and singer Calum Scott each won the public vote in their respective semi-finals.
Meanwhile, dance groups Entity Allstars, Old Men Grooving and UDI, along with father and son singers The Neales and impressionist Danny Posthill won over the judges.
THURSDAY 12 NOON: Help vote south Lincolnshire girls to Britain’s Got Talent glory
Two South Holland youngsters are preparing for the biggest night of their lives in the grand final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent on Sunday.
Poppy Gill (11) of Spalding and Dolcie Simmons (12) of Tydd St Mary are hoping to finish their dream journey through the competition with Essex-based street dance crew Entity Allstars by winning the title in front of a ten million-strong TV audience.
Entity Allstars reached the grand final on Monday with a Harry Potter-themed dance which won the votes of judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.
It was just surreal being in front of the judges who you’ve seen on TV and feel like you know them
Speaking to the Guardian, Dolcie said: “It was just surreal being in front of the judges who you’ve seen on TV and feel like you know them.
“It was nerve-wracking as well but when you’re dancing, you just want to show people what you’ve got.
“We’re a group that’s got something different to bring to the stage and it would mean everything to win.”
A £250,000 cash prize and a starring role in this year’s Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on Friday, November 13, is waiting for the winner of Sunday’s public vote.
Cherie Simmons, Dolcie’s mum, said: “It’s been quite a long journey so far and it hasn’t sunk in yet that Dolcie and Entity Allstars are in the grand final.
“The semi-final was just so amazing and I was so proud of them because they had all worked so hard.
“It was so emotional when we were waiting for the result and when they got down to the last three, with the judges having to choose between Entity Allstars and (12-year-old singer) Henry Gallagher.
“We were very nervous and for a while, I was thinking ‘what have we let ourselves in for?’
“But all the hard work paid off when Alesha, Amanda and Simon voted for us and Dolcie is on top of the world.”
Both girls have been through high-pressure dance competitions before, including Sky TV’s Got to Dance which Poppy reached the final of last August with street dance group Unity Academy in front of 360,000 viewers.
But Britain’s Got Talent is on another level entirely and Poppy said: “I’m very excited and proud of the whole team for our achievement.
“We feel that we really deserve this opportunity to be in the grand final because we’ve been working so hard and putting so many hours of training into it.
“I’m thrilled for our choreographer Tashan Muir because he’s such a nice guy and so committed to us, not just as dancers but as people as well.
“Whatever happens on Sunday, this is going to be a moment to look back on and if I grow up to have my own family, I can tell them I was on Britain’s Got Talent.”
Poppy and Dolcie, a student at University Academy Holbeach, first met when they were together at a street dance club in King’s Lynn which went on to win a sackful of medals at the UDO (U Do It) World Street Dance Championships in 2010.
Last year, Dolcie was a member of street dance group Entity that won the International Dance Organisation world junior title in Germany after Poppy and Dolcie’s younger sister Bonita (8) took the European children’s crown as part of the group Clique in Italy.
Lisa Gill, Poppy’s mum, said: “I’m really glad that Poppy and Dolcie have done so well because of their commitment and hard work.
“They don’t complain because they want to do it and we, as parents, support their dreams. It’s amazing for them to be in the final of Britain’s Got Talent and they are determined to give it their best shot.”