Schoolboy, 16, who brought the Britain’s Got Talent judge to tears

A schoolboy’s dreams came true when he brought a Britain’s Got Talent judge to tears.

Ethan Ayaz, 16, from New Brighton, danced in front of Bruno Tonioli, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon as he and his dance school Phoenix Boys auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. The dance troupe brought judge Bruno to tears with their beautiful contemporary ballet performance – which earned him his golden bell.

The 16-year-old’s mother, Jo, told the ECHO how Bruno “snapped the bell” because he hit her so hard with “passion”. Phoenix Boys have reached the semi-finals and are set to perform live at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday night in front of three thousand people and millions watching at home.

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Last Saturday (May 18) Phoenix Boys, who are an all-male dance company based in Liverpool, wowed the country with their performance, earning them a golden buzzer. Speaking to the ECHO about the excitement, Jo, 47, said: “There were 37 of them on stage. “They got a standing ovation from the audience and Bruno rang his golden bell – he really connected with the act, being a dancer. .

“He had a little cry, bless him. He hit the bell so hard, because he was very passionate, he broke the golden bell. I was very proud. I was there when he auditioned, I was happy, I felt very proud of Ethan and all the other boys”.

Jo said her son “felt fantastic” about the judges’ reaction and was “so excited and shocked”. She added: “They weren’t even thinking about getting the gold bell so they were really shocked when it happened and so happy.”

Auditions for Britain’s Got Talent took place in January 2024, but were not televised until Saturday. Ethan, who has a younger brother, and his family had a party on Saturday night to celebrate his success. Jo said: “I watched it on Saturday, we had a party at our place with family and friends and watched it. There were many tears, many celebrations and shouts”.

Ethan has dreamed of being a professional dancer since he was little, so being able to perform on stage in front of thousands of people on one of London’s most famous stages was a ‘dream come true’ for the teenager.

Jo said: “He started dancing when he was ten, he’s now 16 and it means everything to him. It’s his passion and he loves to dance, that’s where he wants his career to go, in dance.

“He attends Liverpool Theater School and trains there, it’s a huge passion of his. She just loves to dance, she always danced at home and did shows as a child and now she will continue to dance full time in her career. .

“It means everything to him.”

The semi-finals will air this Saturday (May 25), where the dance group will perform live. Jo added: “He can’t wait to get back on stage.”

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