More than 1,000 schoolchildren have risen to the challenge to be their best through dance in the Oxford heats of a national competition.

The Rock Challenge 2001 event is a performing arts competition for 11- to 18-year-olds, which aims to show youngsters other ways of beating boredom than through drink or drugs. It promotes creativity, commitment, teamwork and a sense of achievement.

Produced in Britain by the Be Your Best Foundation and supported locally by Thames Valley Police, schools performing in Rock Challenge stage an eight-minute dance piece which can be anything from social commentary to political satire. Winners of the two heats held last night and Wednesday at the Apollo Theatre, Oxford, were Chinnor Autistic Unit with Lord Williams's School, Thame, and Stantonbury Campus from Milton Keynes. They will go through to the Southern final in Portsmouth on May 21.

Juno Hollyhock, the UK producer for Rock Challenge, said: "We have seen some great rehearsals here in Oxford and had some storming shows."

One of those taking part was Sophie Green, 13, from King Alfred's School in Wantage. She said: "Boys and girls get to do dancing and it brings the group together. It's a great competition to be involved in."

Her friend, Sarah Nicklin, also 13, said: "Everybody gets to do what they enjoy and show that you needn't do drugs."

Thames Valley Police were several thousand pounds short of the £23,000 they needed to stage the event, but the show went ahead anyway, with youth and schools officer Sgt Tony Norris saying this just meant the fundraising for next year's event would start off with a deficit.

**The schools taking part were: Abingdon College, Cheney School, Oxford, Chinnor Autistic Unit/Lord Williams's School, Thame, Headington School, Oxford, King Alfred's Sixth Form College, Wantage, Oxford College of Further Education, The Cooper School, Bicester, Peers Technology College, Oxford, King Alfred's School, Wantage, Fort Hill Community School, Basingstoke, Crickhowell High School, Wales, The Sir John Colfox College, Dorset, The Lord Grey School, Milton Keynes, Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes, and Sir William Ramsay School from High Wycombe. CALL OUR PICTURE DESK

ON 01865 425446 TO ORDER A PHOTOGRAPH ' 'Everybody gets to do what they enjoy and show that you needn't do drugs' Sarah Nicklin, 13

ENJOY THE SHOW: Global Rock Challenge producer Juno Hollyhock, above, and Thames Valley Police's schools and youth involvement officer, Tony Norris, gets into the fun spirit of the event, right LET'S DANCE: Pupils from Cooper School, Bicester, perform 'Timewarp', above and middle ON STAGE: Youngsters from Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes, do their routine MASK SHOW: Oxford College of Futher Education students, whose routine was called 'Why Me?' MAKEOVER: Genna Ridgwell, of King Alfred's School, Wantage attends to Sara Massie