THEY wowed the judges on a top TV talent show and now they are just 24 hours away from taking the next step to a £250,000 prize.

The pupils from Dancepoint Central, in Glasgow's city centre, will discover tomorrow night whether they are through to the live shows of Got To Dance.

Last week, Sky1 screened an episode of its popular programme which hunts for the best amateur dancers in the UK.

The group, Fear of the Unknown, took to the stage at the Glasgow auditions and made a lasting impression.

Judges Ashley Banjo, leader of street dance group Diversity, former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt and American actor Adam Garcia awarded the group three gold stars.

And they described the dramatic performance by the young Glasgow dancers as "a beautiful spectacle of brilliance" and "one of the best shows I have seen in my life".

Diversity's Ashley Banjo gave the youngsters a standing ovation and doffed his cap to them.

Watching from the wings was their teacher and choreographer Robert Hamilton who owns Dancepoint Central.

But he admitted later that it was only when he watched his pupils' performance on TV that he became emotional.

Robert is no stranger to success. Two years ago his group ,The Box, made it to the final three of Got to Dance while another of his groups, The Fusion, reached the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent.

In the same year Robert was one of the last 20 males in the BBC One programme So You Think You Can Dance.

He grew up in what he described as "not the best area of Knightswood" and says he was given a hard time because he wanted to dance.

While still a teenager, Robert headed to a top performing arts college in London and within days of graduating was performing on the West End stage as Mr Mistoffelees in Cats. As well as appearing in musicals, he danced on stage with Robbie Williams at the Brit Awards before turning his talents to choreography.

A decade ago, when Robert was just 24, he decided to return to Glasgow and open his own dance school.

He said: "I wanted to help kids in the city by passing on what I had done and the experiences I have had.

"I came from quite a bad area and, being a dancer, had a hard upbringing.

"A lot of kids didn't believe someone from a small scheme could move to London and live the dream.

"Because I had done it, I was in a position to bring my experience to make them see they could do something with their lives."

His school now has 100 pupils with the youngest just four and the oldest 25.

After Robert's success in 2010, he decided to put together a new routine for Got to Dance, which is presented by Davina McCall.

He formed the 17-strong Fear of the Unknown troupe – all aged between 10 to 17 – inspired by the smash-hit science fiction movie, Avatar. Rehearsals began 12 months ago with the dancers training three or four nights a week after school as well as attending a Sunday "boot camp" on Glasgow Green.

What emerged was a stunning piece of choreography which involved about eight different styles of dance, gymnastics and musical theatre.

The troupe wore dramatic make-up and costumes, all devised and created by Robert and his team.

On the day of the TV recording, he was up at 3am and, with a colleague, spent the next 12 hours painting the youngsters' faces and applying dramatic designs.

Their stunning costumes looked as though they were made by professionals, but Robert admitted they were also created by his team.

He said: "The belts were made out of dishcloths and the costumes were glued together or hand-sewn.

"We can't afford to bring in professional people so everything is DIY."

As well as the costumes, choreography and make-up, Robert edited the music used in the routine and added the voice-over.

The end result was a performance which left many people in the audience speechless.

Robert said: "I have never cried at anything the kids have done because I have worked them so hard and have to be the strong character of the group.

"The first time I got emotional was when I saw them on television because it made me realise the last 10 years of hard work had paid off.

"The kids don't realise how good they are. In fact, I didn't realise either until I saw them on TV.

"They blew everyone away, and Kimberly Wyatt said it was the best thing she had seen in her life.

"One of the girls is only 10 years old!"

But Robert and the troupe will have to wait until Sunday to find out whether they are one of 30 acts to go through to the live shows with a chance of winning the £250,000 prize.

But he is not worried about producing a routine to top Fear of the Unknown's first performance or about his young stars rising to the challenge.

Robert said: "I will tell them not to be scared of anything.

"They have produced such a good number and can deliver again and be even better because they are still training and progressing every day.

"I will tell them not to worry about what other people are doing but to keep pushing forward and to believe they can do enough."

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk