Dylan to dance for nine million on live tv tonight

Beth Carolan

Clifferna’s Dylan Byrd will perform his hip hop dance moves on live TV tonight to a predicted audience of nine million viewers in Britain and Ireland.

The 16-year-old St Aidan's student is in the third batch of live semi finalists to take to the stage in the Wembley Arena in London from 7.30pm. The performances of nine acts, including Cavan's self-taught dancer Dylan, will be broadcast live on TV3 and UTV.

At the time of going to print yesterday (Tuesday), Dylan was in London with friends and family and still awaiting confirmation as to what night he would perform. It was revealed on the show last night that he was among the line-up for this evening's programme.

Dylan got the best birthday present of his life when the news that he had secured one of the remaining 40 spots in the live shows was televised last Saturday on TV3 and UTV.

That show was viewed by over 7.5 million people; while the Eurovision song contest at the same time on BBC only attracted 6.66 million viewers.

Top secret

In the lead-up to Dylan's performance tonight, everything is being kept very top-secret. The young lad is keeping his lips sealed about what soundtrack he’ll be dancing to, saying “it’s a surprise”.
That’s not all, he has also been keeping any new moves for his performance under wraps, telling us he’s “not allowed to say”.

Now in London, supported by his family and friends, he’s preparing for the big night.
Life has been different for Dylan since his dancing debut at the Manchester auditions. The second youngest of eight siblings and from a rural area, he’s still finding it difficult to get used to his new-found fame.
“Everyone’s noticing me,” he said, adding a special thanks to all his supporters. “Everyone’s so supportive of my dancing,” he said.
Dylan’s mother Jenny, meanwhile, admits she is a “wee bit nervous” ahead of the big show, but her son is optimistic that his dance moves will wow the judges and earn him a place in the live finals of BGT this Saturday night.
Having arrived in London last Saturday, only his second time outside of the country, Dylan's ready to take his big break.

'I’m ready. I’ve been practising and I’m really excited about getting on stage. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m ready to take my chance,” he told the Celt.
Already, the whirlwind of good wishes has swept Dylan into a state of super stardom locally, so much so that during his work experience at the Side Street Cafe in Cootehill last week, customers regularly asked the Transition Year student for his autograph. “It was strange, but fun,” he says.

Vote
Irish viewers of BGT can download the dedicated programme app to vote for Dylan. Or they can vote by phone, once the lines are open during the show, by calling 1514 711 0 - and adding the last two digits for their chosen act as given in the show.

Don't forget to tune in at 7.30pm on TV3 for the live show.

Meanwhile, if you missed Dylan's original audition. Check out the video here.