A YOUNG dancer felt like he was dreaming when he earned himself a place in an international dance competition in New York.

Eleven-year-old Finlay McDonagh, of Woodstock, won out against hundreds of other boys in a competition in Dublin earlier this month – securing his place on a chance-in-a-lifetime trip across the pond.

The youngster will set off to the Big Apple in January, where he will take part in a Sheer Talent dance competition – seen in the popular TV show Dance Moms.

Finlay, who has only been dancing for the past two years, said: “I thought it was a dream at first but then I realised that it wasn’t.

“I enjoy dancing because I get to express myself and I’m very excited to be going to New York.”

To enter the competition in Dublin, Finlay had to qualify at a competition in Wigan, in which he came in the top two.

Then, when in Ireland, he was chosen as this year’s Creme de la Creme boys’ winner, giving him the chance to jet off to New York City to take part in the Sheer Talent international competition.

It was independent judge and one of the world’s top professional dancers, Daniele Sibilli from Italy, who chose Finlay as the overall winner out of the other boys following a performance of a one minute solo piece to Circle of Life by Elton John, from the Lion King.

Finlay’s mum Kelly Poulter, who teaches young dancers – including her children – at Flair Dance Studio at The Oxford Academy in Littlemore, said they were stunned by the news.

She said: “We were delighted that he’d made it into the final, and then he won.

"The whole family was shocked. He was dancing against 18-year-olds, and you’d expect one of the older boys to win.

“It was very emotional and the whole family was crying.

"We all just burst into tears. I think we were in shock for a little while.”

In a strange twist to the tale, Mrs Poulter won a place in a dance competition in New York when she was ages 18.

The 41-year-old said: “The last time I felt like this was when it happened to me. It was a total shock.”

Despite only dancing for two years, Mrs Poulter said her son – who does contemporary, tap and ballet, among other styles – was a natural.

She continued: “He does it all really and he was a bit of a natural.

"He picked it up easily and since then he’s just flown. This year’s he’s won lots of competitions and this recent news has just been incredible.”