Belly nice moves - VIDEO
BELLY dancing star Sophie Mei wowed the crowds with her wiggling in Sheffield's Winter Gardens last night.
Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Sophie, aged 20, performed three sassy numbers as part of the city's Wednesday Night Live series.
Sophie, from Pitsmoor, stunned judges on the ITV show with her tummy talent and gorgeous looks but was knocked out of the finals by a dancing dog.
But her short time on TV was enough to capture the hearts of the nation – especially her fellow Sheffielders – and more than 200 people turned up to see her perform in the Winter Garden.
Brave belly dancing fans even tried out a few of the moves alongside Sophie, under her instruction.
Sophie also announced plans to release a 'how to belly dance' DVD and said her summer is "packed full" of gigs.
"I love being back in Sheffield and performing in the city," said Sophie, a student at Manchester University.
"It's been a bit mad since I went on Britain's Got Talent, but I'm loving it. I get recognised all the time and people keep saying 'are you that belly dancer'?
"But all the comments I've been getting are positive ones so that's fantastic."
Sophie started dancing six-and-a-half years ago when she was just a "shy" teenager.
"Believe it or not I used to be quite shy but belly dancing helped me to combat that," she said.
"I started taking the classes at a community group based in Pitsmoor Christ Church."
She decided to go on Britain's Got Talent to "put belly dancing on the map" and dispel some of the myths surrounding it.
"I wanted to give belly dancing the image it deserves and make people realise it is not something sleazy," she said.
"I also wanted to do something different and boost my confidence. I never imagined I would go as far as I did, it's been fantastic."
Amateur dramatics fan Sophie, a former member of the Crucible's Youth Theatre, is also hopeful that some acting or TV presenting opportunities may arise from her new found fame – but she is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.
"I want to finish my degree – that is just as important to me as all this," she said.
"Once I have done that I can concentrate fully on what I want for the future but right now I'm enjoying all the gigs and the feedback.
"It's great being back in Sheffield too where all my friends and family are."
Sophie performed routines to the tunes She Bangs, Kiss Kiss – her final performance on Britain's Got Talent – and Temptation, the routine which got Simon Cowell all hot under the collar at her first audition.
She later performed again in Leopold Square to mark the first birthday of the Leopold Hotel.
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Weather for Sheffield
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to -1 C
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