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Diversity star smashes head performing on Downing Street stage
Ben Bailey21.09.09
Diversity dancer Perri Luc Kiely was left in tears when he took a tumble as the Britain's Got Talent winners performed for Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The 11-strong troupe from Essex and east London are believed to be the first group to dance in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, after they put on a show which spoofed scenes from Parliament.
But frizzy-haired Perri, 13, limped tearfully off after falling during their high-energy routine.
Sarah Brown came to the young star's rescue following the performance and took him into No 10 to tend to him.
A spokesman for the group later said he was "absolutely fine, just a bit shocked" and Mr Brown hailed him as "a wonderful guy".
Perri kicked off the display with the Speaker's cry of "Order! Order!", before fellow dancer Mitchell Craske, also 13, emerged carrying a Budget-style Red Box bearing the group's DV logo, placed it on the floor and proceeded to spin on it on his head.
Also attending yesterday's Number 10 reception to mark the second anniversary of the Prime Minister's Talent and Enterprise Taskforce was rapper Speech Debelle, who this month scooped the Mercury Prize for album of the year.
Mr Brown said their achievements were "a small snapshot of how much skill, talent and potential young people have to offer our country".
He said the Government was determined not to allow today's youngsters to become a "lost generation" as happened in previous downturns in the 1980s and 1990s.
Britain will compete with emerging economic giants like China and India not on low pay, but on high levels of talent, skill and innovation, said the PM.
"It is not just a moral necessity that everybody has a chance to realise their talent, it is our economic future," said Mr Brown.
"The whole destiny of our country depends on creative people, talented people, people with potential getting the chance to develop."
He added: "We are trying to make sure that there is no talent in this country that is not given a chance to develop itself and to help people fulfil their potential to the best of their ability.
"Past generations only developed some of the potential of some of the people. You know that from the waste of talent of centuries of our history. This century has got to be the first to develop all the potential of all of our people."
The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce works with organisations in fields ranging from the arts and sport to business and education to promote the talent of young people.
Diversity's choreographer Ashley Banjo said: "Our lives completely changed because people backed us and believed in us.
"There is so much talent in young people out there, waiting to be discovered and developed so they too can achieve their dreams."
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "For every celebrity success story, there are thousands of undiscovered talents waiting for someone to give them a chance, and where talent exists it is essential that there is someone to back that talent to allow it to flourish.
"This is exactly why we are creating more opportunities - like the National Year of Music - for young people to get involved and show what they can do. Because nurturing talent is imperative, not only to individual life chances, but to the country's economic prosperity as a whole."
Reader views (25)
leave perri alone his hairstyle rocks
- Demi, belfast northern ireland
I think the only ridiculous thing here is people who find the need to critisise a 13 year olds choice of hairstyle. Perhaps there is nothing fulfilling in your miserable lives so you have to pick on something so trival and insignificant. If these kids were running riot on the streets, people would have something to say about it. They are doing something that they obviously love and are very accomplished at, and yet, there are still slated.
Tut, you make me angry.
- Sibel Kirkman, Waltham Cross, Herts
Might have knocked a little sense into his skull; but reflecting on what goes on in Downing Street (yes, DOWNING STREET, the place where our country is governed from), it's really just another nail into the coffin of dumpUK.
- Ted, London
Sorry but Susan Boyle surpassed Diversity by miles. She has gone on to be a hit in the US and, not surprisingly, they are nowhere.
- Tinkerbelle, london
I thought head-banging was what these people did!
- Croyboy, Croydon
'Mr Brown said their achievements were "a small snapshot of how much skill, talent and potential young people have to offer our country".'
An obvious 'product' of what this empty government is about - a bunch of singing and dancing purposeless individuals! Give it a few years and they would have realised they had been 'brainwashed' along with all the other countless talentless zombies.
Get well soon.
- Pete, london
Ahh, poor lad, that look like it really hurt and he tried to go on...
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
It was bound to happen if he was within 20 feet of Brown.
- Paul, Rochester UK
What a nasty bunch of people you are. The poor lad has done extremely well, that was a nasty fall, yet he tried to carry on. I got tearful watching him. Eddie, would like to see you do it!! Madge, that is your opinion, I along with the majority of voters disagree. Flawless were excellent, but it is harder with different ages/sizes. Divesrity were definitely more innovative.
- E Sullivan, London
Fair goes to the wee fella, he was out there giving it his best and he took a bad fall very well.
As Theodore Roosevelt said 'It is not the critics who count, or how the strong ones stumbled........the credit belongs to those who are in the arena, faces marred with dust, sweat and blood..........for they will never be amongst those grey and timid souls who walk this earth knowing neither victory nor defeat'
You should think about those words before you criticise.
- as for the politicians at Downing Street.......
- Paddy, London
They were spoofing scenes from parliament, right? Guy falls flat on his face, right? Who could he be spoofing there? Could it be Gordon? Hairstyle was a clever attempt at disguise but you can't fool all the people all the time. Even the real Gordon can't do that.
- Jilly, London
that wouldn't have happened if the Flawless had won - they were the better group....
- Madgefan, London
How is that funny? He's 13, for God's sake. You can see how upset he is. I bet those of you making disparaging comments would be the first to critcise if he wasn't making something of his life by being involved in something like this.
- Miriam, London
What a bunch of cynical miserable people you lot are..
- David, London
No, we're not David; we just see things as they are and not taken in by the spin! Basically, I guess we're not sheep.
- Margy, London
What a crass act!Sorry to tell you this fellas but it's all been done before and done a lot better than this I might add.
- Eddie, London
I would quite like a cuddle off Sarah Brown.
- Steve Cascarino, Bow
I'm surprised he didn't bounce sttaight back up with that silly seventies barnet.
- Eddie, London
What a bunch of cynical miserable people you lot are..
- David, London
Does Gormless Brown believe that Joe Public are to be fooled by his apparent obsession with showbiz personalities (a la Susan Boyle)?
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
Having tried and failed to communicate his harebrained schemes to the electorate via every other medium, gordon uses the only thing left to him. The medium of 'darnce'. Doesn't bode well does it.
- Loki, Roskilde, DK
Remember when Blair came to power and all the trendy, wealthy and good backed him, always turning up to impromptu parties and making him seem "down with the kids", here's Gordon trying the same thing except all he can manage is a talent competition winner, what a guy.
- Bob, Cheam
Don't worry about it mate, everything at No.10 falls flat on it's face these days.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
As a wise man once said, it's all very funny until someone gets hurt...then it's just hilarious
- Ed, Whitechapel
It's not the dance moves GB needs to learn but the political moves. Some might think GB had landed on his head after some of the horrendous moves he has made both as PM and as former chancellor. GB's labour party will also shed a few tears once their performance ends.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark
I'd be crying without the fall.That 'hairstyle' is absolutely ridiculous.What are his parents thinking sending a boy (?) out like that.
- Steve, London
