16-Year-Old Irish Dancer Performs Showstopping Routine on ‘BGT’
ITV Reading Time: 3 minutes
Dancer Dylan Byrd came from a small village in Ireland to make his family proud on ‘BGT.’ His 2015 audition was his first time out of Ireland and, despite the nerves, the 16-year-old totally slayed his performance. Check out his energetic dance moves down below and let us know what you think!
Dylan Byrd Performs Energetic Self-Taught Dance Routine On ‘BGT’
Coming onto ‘BGT’ was a dream come true for Byrd.
“It didn’t feel real,” he said about getting on a plane for the first time to come to his audition. Nobody was prepared for what he was about to do when he stepped onto the stage. After admitting he was nervous, “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj began blaring over the speakers as Byrd launched into a sassy dance routine full of energy.
The crowd went wild as Byrd gave this audition everything he had, but the audience, and the judges, were shocked when Alesha Dixon pressed her red buzzer. The other three judges gave Byrd a standing ovation after the performance.
SEE ALSO: ‘BGT’ MAGICIAN’S DEEPLY PERSONAL ROUTINE BRINGS EVERYONE TO TEARS
“I absolutely loved it,” David Walliams gushed. “I guess there’s a lot of practicing in front of the bedroom mirror.”
Walliams went on to ask Byrd if he learned his dance moves from a pop music video, but he told the judges that his dancing is all self-taught.
“For you to have been literally doing this in your bedroom then got on a plane for the first time coming here, you’ve done it in front of all of these people with so much confidence,” Amanda Holden said. “High five Dylan.”
“I think you’re lovely,” Dixon said. “I buzzed because I didn’t think the dance was the standard I’m personally looking for.” Simon Cowell led the crowd in a sequence of “boo’s” while she spoke.
“I do find a lot of dance acts quite boring,” said Cowell. “I thought you were great, really fun. I don’t understand why Alesha didn’t get you.”
Where Is He Now?
Dixon was the only judge to not vote to put Byrd through to the next round. However, all he needed was three yes’s to go through. For his Semi-Finals performance, Byrd wanted to show Dixon that he improved his dancing. He was joined by several background dancers to dance to Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Movin” and, despite his best efforts, was eliminated from ‘BGT’ after this performance.
Dylan’s mom Jenny Byrd came to his defense after English media personality Katie Hopkins made rude comments about him.
“She’s just a horrible, nasty woman,” Jenny Byrd said. “Does she really have nothing better to do with her time?”
Though the young dancer was upset by some of the negativity he received online, he did not let the comments get to him and even got to meet former Little Mix member, Jesy Nelson, who opened up about her own personal bullying history.
SEE ALSO: TEEN ‘BGT’ SINGER PERFORMS HEARTBREAKING SONG FOR HIS GRANDMOTHER
What did you think of Dylan’s ‘BGT’ audition?
