Dance troupe 'devastated' after carnival cancelled

Michelle Harding-Foster said she and her troupe were on a "big comeback"

The queen of a dance troupe that was due to perform at Leicester's Caribbean Carnival said she was "devastated" the event had been cancelled.

Michelle Harding-Foster, 36, said her troupe had spent thousands of pounds and several months making costumes for the event and learning dance routines for weeks.

Organisers said they decided "with a heavy heart" to cancel the carnival in its 40th anniversary year due to financial difficulties.

Ms Harding-Foster is now set to take all the members of her troupe to other Caribbean carnivals as they will miss out on the event at Leicester's Victoria Park.

Poor weather during the carnival last year led to a low turnout, which organisers said had also influenced their decision to cancel the event.

Ms Harding-Foster said: "We're quite devastated, actually. We were kind of on a big comeback after last year's washout, so it's quite disappointing because we had a lot of passion and drive this year to really bring it back and get Leicester out there."

The troupe is now planning to attend the Manchester Caribbean Carnival on 10 August and Nottingham Carnival on 18 August.

Ms Harding-Foster added: "We can't let it get to us, we've got to keep moving forward. It's all about promoting positive energy and giving them more opportunities that may be even bigger and better."

Members of the Pulse Dance Troupe are now planning to attend other events this summer

Explaining the decision to cancel the event on 2 July, Dennis Christopher previously said: "The decision to postpone is heartbreaking but we would like to thank everyone involved for all their help and hard work.

"With the difficult economic climate and increasing event costs, we face significant financial risk.

"Leicester's Caribbean Carnival is a massive undertaking for a very small team and this year, despite our very best efforts, we simply weren't able to overcome the many challenges we faced in time."

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