Lake Mac dancer taking on the world

Published on 02 December 2024

Lake Macquarie dancer Xavier Towers has seen more of the world in his nine short years than many adults have in a lifetime.

The talented Warners Bay youngster has danced on cruise ships, represented Lake Macquarie and Australia in international competition and now has his sights set on a 2020 world title.

 

Growing up in a dance studio owned by mum, Simone, and grandmother, Julie, Xavier was learning to dance before he could walk.

“I love dancing because you can express your feelings through movement,” the Year 5 Biddabah Public School student says.

“When I’m competing, I do get nervous, but I have techniques to calm myself down so I can perform at my best.”

Simone says dancing is in her son’s blood.

“It’s a natural talent,” she says.

“He picks things up really quickly and loves to have fun with his routines. He loves lyrical, which is a type of dancing where you listen to the words in order to shape your dancing. It’s emotional and allows greater range of body movement. These routines are where Xavier can showcase his flexibility and balance.”

It’s that incredible flexibility that has helped Xavier in the competitive dance world. At age four, he competed at the Showcase Dance Australian Championships, winning his first national title.

Xavier’s skill took him all the way to Las Vegas in 2018, competing at the Star Power National Talent Competition where he won the Under-8s division.

“When I compete overseas, I make friends from all around the world, and we all love to dance,” Xavier says.

But Lake Mac is definitely home.

“We love living in Warners Bay, Xavier gets to walk to school and we live a few streets back from the lake,” Simone says.

“It’s the perfect outdoor lifestyle, there is always something to do.”

Last year saw Xavier travel to Portugal, where he danced with Team Australia at the Dance World Cup.

Competing against both girls and boys in his age category, Xavier performed two solos and brought home two silver medals. He also received the highest point score of any Australian competitor, with a 98.1 per cent overall score.

With so much success at such a young age, it’s important to Xavier’s family that he still gets to be a young boy.

“He’s not dancing as much as some of the other kids because we balance it with all the other things he loves. Xavier plays team sports like soccer and swimming, where he gets to socialise with kids in the local area that aren’t in the dancing world,” Simone says.

For now, Xavier is enjoying the new school year with his mates.

But his sights are firmly set on Italy in June, where he will once again represent Australia on the world stage.

“The competition is at an Italian theme park which will be exciting” Xavier says.

“And I love that I get to dance for Australia.”

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