Brightlingsea teenager becomes UK Latin dance champion

Isa Islam, 15, and his partner Cee-Cee Jackson won the British National Junior Latin championship this month. 

Years of dedication and countless hours of training paid off for the youngsters, who have been dancing together for only nine months before the competition at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. 

Isa started dancing in Brightlingsea with Carrie’s Street Performers, which is now called Pulse Performers at the age of six. 

He trained with coaches across Essex and decided to take the next step to professional dancing by leaving the Colne Community School and now attending the Brit School for Performing and Creative Arts in Croydon. 

Travelling has become a big part of Isa’s life, and he just returned from a competition where he represented the UK in the Netherlands, before competing in Blackpool. 

He discovered ballroom and Latin dancing quite late and lockdown as well as struggles to find the right partner almost made him quit the sport. 

His mother Joanna said: “I am so proud of Isa and Cee-Cee. These beautiful young people have shown so much maturity with their respectful attitudes and incredible work ethic.  

“They don’t criticise or blame each other when things go wrong, they act with kindness to work together to find solutions and improve. 

“They are very different people but have formed a friendship and support each other, especially through the tough times."

According to his mother Joanna, Isa is certain to pursue a career in dancing but is exploring multiple options at the moment.

She added: "He would like a career as a dancer, but he also does other styles of dancing.

"He was also in the Matilda the Musical movie that came out in 2022, starring Emma Thompson, and has danced in a short film called Paso Doble, starring Aidan Turner."