A HIP-HOP dancer who realised his dream of opening a unified dance school is set to direct his second show this weekend. 26-year-old Brendon Hansford, who grew up in St Albans and recently moved to Hemel Hempstead, set up a dance school called Alter Ego f

A HIP-HOP dancer who realised his dream of opening a unified dance school is set to direct his second show this weekend.

26-year-old Brendon Hansford, who grew up in St Albans and recently moved to Hemel Hempstead, set up a dance school called Alter Ego four years ago in an attempt to bring dancers of all ages and abilities together on one stage.

Alter Ego, which holds classes at Francis Bacon School every Thursday evening, and other Hertfordshire dance schools will come together for this weekend's Dance Unified Show, where over 150 performers will showcase a wide range of dancing styles.

Brendon, who has travelled the world researching various hip-hop dancing styles, said that he was proud of Alter Ego: "I wanted to provide a stage where everyone is equal and gets treated exactly the same and I really think I succeeded. The Dance Unified show is a great way to celebrate our diverse dance school."

He added: "I didn't get into dancing until I was 19 and even then I must admit it was to meet girls. But now it's my passion and from ballet to modern and hip-hop, I couldn't imagine life without dance anymore."

Dance Unified is showing at the Campus West Theatre in Welwyn Garden City on Friday and Saturday with a 7pm start. Tickets cost �15 for one night and for more information visit www.danceunified.co.uk