A Dublin hip hop troupe has received almost €40,000 in donations from the public to allow it to compete at the Dance World Cup in the Czech Republic.
A team of 28 performers from Arkins Dance Company, based in the north inner city, was chosen to represent Ireland at the competition in Prague.
However, according to Alysia Arkins, who runs the academy, high travel costs totalling just under €60,000 euro initially threatened to scupper their hopes of competing at all.
"When we got the call to say we had made the Ireland team, we just assumed we'd be able to pay it out. Then we found out the price. So, the accommodation was over €36,000, that's a lot of money," she said.
Ms Arkins added: "The flights were over €11,000 and then the uniforms were €5,000 alone. And then the entries, just to get into the competition, was €6,000. So it worked out a lot of money."
However, after creating an online fundraising page to help lighten the financial load, the academy began seeing hundreds of donations pour in.
Speaking to RTÉ News, a "grateful" Ms Arkins thanked the people of Ireland for "getting behind us", during a time when the dance academy’s fees were often not enough to cover their electricity bill.
"I was just overjoyed for them (the children) because I knew it's their dream and I didn't want the price to get in the way.
"I knew that they were going to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that the people had given them that chance now that we thought was out of reach," she said.
Arkins Dance Academy was founded by Ms Arkins’ mother Francesca 29 years ago, and now provides a creative outlet for over 100 children in the north inner city.
Owner and choreographer Alysia Arkins believes the academy can act as an escape for her students who live in the local community.
"The streets are not safe for them to go out and play anymore the way they used to be. No matter what you read or what’s going on outside it’s always joy in here, it’s always happiness," Ms Arkins said.
"It’s peace of mind for their parents as well that they're actually getting a childhood, they actually have somewhere to come. Every day they're being told what to do, they come in here, this is what they want to do, this is where they have fun," she added.
Arkins Dance Academy will compete at the Dance World Cup finals in Prague from 27 June to 6 July.
