SCHOOLCHILDREN performed a 12-hour dance marathon for charity.

Eleven Dorcan Technology College pupils aged between 11 and 16 boogied non-stop for Breast Cancer Awareness.

The children, members of the St Paul’s Drive school’s dance crew 4Sho, started at 6am on Saturday and finished at 6pm the same day.

They aimed to raise around £200 for the good cause.

Kelly Sutton, dance teacher at the school and dance crew choreographer, said: “The dancers have been great.

“We have had no blistered feet, but they started to flag at the end.”

Dancers alternated shifts, meaning each dancer had a 10 minute break every two hours while the others continued.

The performers demonstrated a variety of styles including country and western, street dancing and contemporary.

By 2pm the pupils had gone from dancing in the Dorcan school’s studio to dancing while washing cars for extra funds.

Crew member Rhianne Duke, 15, of Nythe, has been dancing for the last 12 years, and trains with K School of Music and Dance.

She said: “I am really tired – we started so early this morning and I wanted to go back to bed, but once I got into it it was okay.

“Breast cancer affects many people so it’s good to raise money for a breast cancer charity.

“The dance crew is good because we all get on quite well because we’re all dedicated to the same thing.”

Aaron Jenkins, 14, from Walcot, has been dancing for three years with Judith Hockaday School of Dance.

“This was a challenge but it’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

The 4Sho dance crew is auditioned and was first formed in July by Miss Sutton.

It is run through after school sessions involving a mixture of teaching and improvisation.

The dancers have already performed at the Swindon Youth Festival and at several school functions such as open evenings.

Miss Sutton said: “We wanted to create a group to go out into the community..

“The students have got a lot of energy and enthusiasm and we want them to focus that on something positive.