Hip-hop heaven

N-Dubz, which were named Best UK Newcomer at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards last month, are performing at the Princess Pavilions in Falmouth in December.

Before then, however, the heat in on for dance troupes across the county, who will be competing to perform alongside the group.

The concert and competition have been organised by 5ivestar, a community interest company that holds community dance classes in six towns across Cornwall including Helston, to raise awareness of urban arts in rural areas.

Youngsters interested in performing at the concert are being encouraged to join the weekly classes now, so they can prepare for the "dance-off" with the other groups next month. The successful class will perform one of the two new routines that they will be working on over the coming weeks.

Emily Vincent, director of 5ivestar, said: "This is a huge opportunity for young people who love to dance to get involved with 5ivestar. We are re-jigging things and making space in all our classes to allow record numbers of young people to get involved."

The concert is also set to feature the launch of Cornwall's first hip-hop group 'i-gen', acrobatics, live DJs, fire dancers and performances by the All*Stars Performance Company, who will be backing N-Dubz on stage.

The night before the concert is 5ivestar's end of year showcase, featuring all 300 students from across Cornwall alongside some special guests celebrating the end of their year as a community interest company. All proceeds from this event will go back to helping young people achieve their dreams of getting into the performing arts industry.

5ivestar's classes for the Helston area are called Raw/Fusion and are staged at Helston Community Centre on Penrose Road every Thursday evening, between 5pm and 6.30pm for under 12's and between 6.30pm and 8pm for over 12's. For more information call 01637 889339 or log onto www.5ivestar.biz.