WARRNAMBOOL dancers will double as hunters when they challenge a national competition in two weeks.
Eight EKB Fitness and Aerobics students contested the national school aerobics titles in Queensland last month and will return to the stage for the Australian Federation of International Sport Aerobics and Fitness (FISAF) championships next weekend.
Head coach Emma Bellman said promising results at the former event had put her young squad in perfect stead for the approaching competition.
Primary hip hop group Shakedown was the toast of Victoria, collecting second place in a fiercely fought section.
Oldskool soloist Sophie Payne finished fifth while secondary junior Sophie Bellman claimed 11th.
While Bellman was impressed with the placings, she admitted there was still some room to climb up the rankings.
"They will be up against a lot of the same girls in two weeks," she said.
"We reckon we can pick off a few of them."
All routines received minor makeovers after state finals earlier this year.
Bellman said some choreography was tweaked in response to the judging panel's feedback.
"We made a couple of changes here and there," she said.
"We changed some positions to make it more difficult but it was mostly neatening and polishing."
National debutantes Shakedown braved a capacity crowd to perform their best routine of the year.
"The competition was really tough, it was way above my expectations," Bellman said.
"South Australia usually wins everything but we managed to beat a lot of them and we beat the top Queensland team.
"It was amazing to get a Victorian team that high in dance.
"We had parents with tears in their eyes when they read out the result."
Sophie Payne, 19, dazzled the Oldskool singles final with a routine filled with flexibility demonstration.
Secondary soloist Sophie Bellman, 14, scored highly in the artistic criteria.
"Both soloists were pretty nervous but that's how they are all of the time," Bellman said.
"The Shakedown team was just happy to be there, they were pumped and relaxed."
The two soloists and eight teams will contest the national FISAF championships in Sydney next weekend.