HE’S a self-taught contortionist who is training as a circus performer.

Now Southampton teenager Charlie Wheeller can add “star of Saturday night television”

to his ever-growing list of achievements.

Millions of viewers watched as the 18-year-old break-dancer from Bitterne got to the final 20 of the BBC’s talent search show So You Think You Can Dance?

Charlie is one of ten male and ten female dancers who have made it through auditions and choreography camp and will now take part in the live shows hosted by Cat Deeley.

They are competing for the chance to win £50,000 prize money and an invitation to dance on the US version of the dancing show.

He will have to keep impressing judges Nigel Lythgoe, Arlene Phillips, Louise Redknapp and Sisco Gomez who will mark the dancers’ efforts each Saturday night from now on.

But the ultimate power lies with viewers who will vote off one male and one female dancer each week from the Saturday, April 23 show.

Each week the dancers will be taught to perform a new routine by worldrenowned choreographers – and Charlie will have to step out of his comfort zone by learning more traditional styles of dance such as tap.

After watching his audition Nigel Lythgoe said: “You are so unique, young man. I mean it’s ridiculous what you’re doing.”

Arlene Phillips added: “Right now I think what you do is kind of special. And seeing somebody who looks like a little bouncing bright bubbly kid do it, it adds like the cherry and the cream on the top of the cake.”

Louise Redknapp said: “It was extremely intriguing. There were parts where I couldn’t watch you and parts where I didn’t want to take my eyes off you.”

Charlie started break-dancing while a pupil at Bitterne Park Secondary S c h o o l , teaching himself through online videos. He continued developing his style when he moved on to Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh.

Now he trains at Circus Space in London practising juggling, acrobatics and the trapeze. His speciality is performing in a suspended metal hoop called the Cyr wheel.

He auditioned for the show after hearing about the preliminary auditions just the night before.

Charlie insists he didn’t expect anything but he caught the judges’ imagination with his individual style.

He told them: “I will flip circus on its head. I am a contortion breaker who will twist your face into a smile with my crazy tricks.”

Also through to the final are Ryan Jenkins, 28, from Cowes, Isle of Wight, and Danielle Cato, 24, of Farnborough, north Hampshire.

• The So You Think You Can Dance?

studio shows begin on BBC One on Saturday night at 7.10pm.