PROUD parents watched hundreds of children taking to the stage for the next exciting chapter of the Rock Challenge.

Woodland creatures and dancing sweets were among the highlights youngsters lit up the O2 Guildhall in Southampton during the extravaganza.

Rock Performances:

Rock Rehearsals:

Children from seven primary schools from around the county strutted their stuff in a vibrant showcase of talent in the Junior Round Two category.

A panel of judges scored top teams for their skills in dance, drama and design during eight-minute performances.

Braishfield Primary School ran our winners with their flagship piece ‘Carry me to Safety’ featuring elegant choreography to create an emotional, poignant and haunting piece to mesmerise the audience.

Runners up Highfield CE Primary School took the crowd on a mythical journey with their piece ‘The Goddess and the Weaver’ with judges hailing their “strong drama skills”.

Rolling into third was Nursling CE Primary School with their impressive ‘Uncovering our hidden talents’ showcase with vibrant costumers for a fun, high energy performance and some striking black and white costumes.

Calmore Junior School presented a magical performance of ‘If you go down to the woods’ incorporating woodland creatures, swaying trees and dancing candy canes and liquorice allsorts, which landed them fourth place.

The Southampton City Council Award for Excellence in Choreography was handed to Halterworth Community Primary School, Highfield CE Primary School, Braishfield Primary School.

The Pauline Quirke Academy Award for Excellence for Performance Skill was received by Braishfield Primary School.

Winners will be chosen each night to go on to the finals at Portsmouth Guildhall in June where they will get the chance to be named Rock Challenge champions.

The Rock Challenge, an international initiative run by the Be Your Best Foundation, was brought from Australia to the UK by Hampshire police in 1996 to encourage young people away from alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

Now in its 20th year, the popular event reaches out to more than 20,000 young people across the UK aged seven to 18.