Video: Dance Studios members at the Chelsea Flower Show
Members of a Nottingham dance school performed at the Chelsea Flower Show to help launch the world’s hottest chilli.
The nine girls from The Dance Studios, based in Hockley, were chosen for the performance to launch the Dragon’s Breath pepper at the show in London on Monday (May 22).
The dancers, all aged between 12 and 15, performed a tap piece choreographed by one of the Studio’s directors Jill Edwards, along with her daughters Jenny Wesson and Casey Edwards.
Jill, who first set up The Dance Studios in West Bridgford 20 years ago, said: “The whole experience is simply fantastic.
“It was a really busy day and the girls really enjoyed performing, soaking up the atmosphere of this renowned event as well as meeting a number of celebrities.”
The opening of the Chelsea Flower Show was attended by royalty and celebrities, with appearances from the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge and Dame Judi Dench.
The girls’ dance was set to Michael Flatley’s Feet of Flames to tie in with the chilli theme of the launch.
The Dragon’s Breath chilli, created in part by Newark-based chilli growers ChilliBobs, was revealed at the Tom Smith Plants stand at the Show.
Maxine Loydall, also a director at The Dance Studios, said “The chance for these girls from a Nottingham city centre dance school to perform at a world famous event like the Chelsea Flower Show is a real privilege and a once in a lifetime experience for them.”
Father and son team Bob and Neil Price harvested the chilli from seed.
Bob said: “We make it a rule to taste every type of new chilli that we grow.
“As soon as we tried Dragon’s Breath we knew it was hot.”
The spicy heat of chilli peppers is measured using the Scoville scale, with bell peppers being ranked at 0 Scovilles (SCU), jalapenos at 2,500-5,000 SCU and habaneros hitting a maximum of 350,000 SCU.
The Dragon’s Breath chilli tops the scale at 2.4 million (SCU), some 200,000 SCU hotter than the current record holder the Carolina Reaper, and Guinness World Records have been approached to have it officially verified as the world’s hottest chilli.
An edible variety of the pepper will be available to buy from ChilliBobs, and fans will be able to taste it for themselves at the Chillibobs’ East Midlands’ Chilli Festival this summer.
