By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A dance group made up of performers from Caledon and Brampton will soon showcase their talents in a major Toronto competition.

On August 25, hip-hop dance group Creative Forces will perform in the Canadian National Exhibition's (CNE) Rising Star competition.

The group consists of Angelina Lucien, Vanya Watson, Alyssa Mehta, Marlita Vasilakos, and Gabriela Espinoza-Cuervo. The dancers, who are all between the ages of 13 and 16, met at a dance studio called Dancercise. 

The group are all great friends and have been dancing together for over a year. They meet to practice weekly, and often rehearse for three hours at a time. 

They found out about the CNE Rising Star competition through Lucien, who competed in it two years ago.

Creative Forces will perform to a mix of hard-hitting, old-school hip-hop songs. Their routine is choreographed by well-known hip-hop choreographer and dancer Miguel Rodriguez.

Espinoza-Cuervo said she was always into hip-hop dance but never trained at a formal studio until she met her fellow dancers in Creative Forces. 

“It became such a big part of my life… hip-hop was my number-one thing growing up,” she said. 

Each member of Creative Forces has been dancing since they were little kids. They enjoy the thrill of competition and performing.

Heading into the competition, Lucien is very confident that Creative Forces has a great chance to win. She and the group are excited for their performance.