A 13-YEAR-OLD dancer won over the judges, despite a dislocated knee, to take home first prize.
Jaiden Sayer danced a contemporary musical theatre routine to win himself first prize at Bolton’s Got Talent.
While the host of the evening, Peter Kay, was introducing Jaiden he revealed the young dancer had dislocated his knee in while practising the routine and was disobeying doctor’s orders to perform.
After his performance he said: “It went quite well — I was really nervous when I went on but I felt good when I came off.
“I’m really excited about meeting Peter Kay — he asked me about my knee. I was practising for today and I moved my knee cap and dislocated it and tore everything underneath, but it didn’t affect my performance. I have done everything I can.”
PICTURES: 100 fantastic images from Bolton's Got Talent hosted by Peter Kay
Jaiden thrilled the audience as he danced to a Michael Bublé cover of Cry Me a River. Many guests rose to their feet as they applauded the Westhoughton performer.
After some deliberation by judges Peter, Leigh Vallance of Bolton Hospice and Ian Savage, Editor-in-Chief of The Bolton News, Jaiden was announced as the winner of the £1,000 top prize.
Well done Jaiden the winner of #boltonsgottalent pic.twitter.com/zn162uJY3R
— Mary Naylor 🤶🏻 (@MaryLNaylor) December 1, 2017
After winning he said: “I’m shocked. I’m just speechless.
“All the way through the winners they didn’t call my name, but there were still the choir and the impressionist.
“And when he said my name I just screamed.”
He said he was going to spend his winnings on a new turn board, mats and bars to help him improve his dancing.
His proud mum and dad, Linzi and Jay, looked on as he performed.
Mrs Sayer said: “I’m feeling sick. I can’t believe it, considering he wasn’t meant to be dancing. He’s disobeyed doctor’s orders!”
Mr Sayer added: “I’m as proud as I can ever be, he’s superb.”
Jaiden, who lives in Ash Grove, attends Westhoughton High School and two dance schools, Aspire Dance and Stage near his home and the Lowry Centre for Advanced Training. He says two choreographers helped him put together the winning routine.
When designing the routine, Jaiden said he had already ‘fallen in love with the song’ Cry Me a River, having heard it at one of his dance schools.
He revealed that initially his mother was not too keen on the choice, though she had come to enjoy it.
He said: “She wasn’t a big fan of Bublé but she started to like it.”
Jaiden hopes one day to perform on a West End stage and said if he could, he would like to perform in The Nutcracker and Billy Elliot.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here