Mia Linnik-Holden and Andrei Toader vice champions at UK Closed Championships

Mia Linnik-Holden and Andrei Toader at the 2016 World Dance Championships in Paris.

Dancing sensations Mia Linnik-Holden and Andrei Toader have continued to rise in the junior Latin and ballroom ranks after placing as vice champions at the UK Closed Championships in Bournemouth.

The talented teens, aged 14 and 15, gave show-stopping performances to place second in Junior Open 10 Dance, Junior UK Closed Latin and Junior UK Closed Ballroom.

Mia said: “We are delighted with our results and marks. Well done to all our competitors. Thank you to our coaches, sponsors and families.”

Their staggering performance comes on the back of an intense training course in Bari, Italy with some of the world’s top coaches such as Goran Nordin and Joanna Leunis, who Mia credits as being her ‘personal inspiration since she was six years old’. Mia, who began dancing when she was six after asking her parents for lessons, was also recently presented with Cardinal Langley’s Head of Year Award for her ‘outstanding commitment’ to dance and her studies.

Mia added: “Thank you to the members of Middleton Rotary Club for supporting us in this amazing opportunity: we are forever grateful for your constant support. Thank you to our amazing families.”

With less than 12 months left for the dedicated duo from Middleton to perform as juniors, Mia and Andrei have racked up the titles this year, retaining their champion crown at the North of England Junior Ballroom Championships for the second year running.

The stars also won the U16 Ballroom and Latin at Heritage Ball at the Tower Ballroom, placed first at the Quick Quick Slow Dance Awards in Junior Ballroom and first in Junior Ballroom and Latin at Classique de Danse Awards.

Their achievements for 2017 also include: consistently placing between first and eighth place in the junior categories (ages 12-16) at the Junior Blackpool Dance Festival, runner-up titles at 10 Dance Stars Championships, runner-up titles in U16 Latin and Ballroom at both Stars of a Future Championship and Oxfordshire Titles, 5th place at the 2017 British Junior Ballroom, 2nd place in both U16 events at Staffordshire Championships, double winners at both the Central Open Event and Champions of Tomorrow, winners at City of Manchester U16 Ballroom and Latin, and champions of U16 Ballroom and Latin at the English Classique Awards.

In April, Mia and Andrei also featured in ‘Baby Ballroom’, a 5Star documentary centred around the lives of child ballroom dancers in the UK.

Last year, the talented duo, who have been dancing together since May 2015, were ranked amongst the top 10 worldwide in the U19 Ballroom dance at the World Dance Championships in Paris, just months after they became the Gateway Super League Junior Champions Ballroom and Latin champions and placing second at the Bournemouth Masters U16 Ten Dance Championships.

Previously, they were UK Close U14 Ballroom and Latin Champions, as well as the Dutch Open WDC UK U14 Ballroom and Latin Finalists, International U14 Finalists, WDC U14 World Ballroom Champions, U14 World Latin Vice Champions and British National U16 Ballroom and Latin Finalists placing third in Ballroom and fourth in Latin.