Gemma Simms meets the three would-be stars who are just...dance crazy!

Forget the nifty moves of the Spice Girls and B*Witched - this stunning trio of dancers are THE girls to watch out for in the county.

They call themselves DKV Dance Company - which stands for their Christian names, Debbie, Katy and Vanessa.

The Oxford-based company, which has a promotion video, performs in many events including charity functions, catwalk fashion shows and theatre performances.

While most models simply strut down the catwalk, DKV dance and show off the clothes, adding a bit more excitement than usual.

The girls are sponsored by clothes chain Pilot and Oxford's trendy shop Devious. The shops lend them clothes for performances and although they only formed last November, DKV already have big plans to make a name for themselves.

The girls bring a young, fresh image to their dance act which will come as a delight to many teenagers in Oxford who want something different to the local indie bands' music.

And with identical twins in the group, the entertainment is twice as nice. They don't sing, the music isn't even their own creation, but they carefully select songs from top artists so they can plan their impressive choreography.

And this time, two may be company but three definitely isn't a crowd. Debbie Marshall, who is 14 minutes older than her identical twin Vanessa, said: "It's really good fun. Katy, Vanessa and I get on really well and there's no problem with me and Vanessa working together, especially now that we don't live together or have to share a bedroom!"

"We used to run a dance company called 4 Play but when the fourth member went travelling, we started from scratch calling ourselves DKV," explained Debbie, 28.

They have recently been signed by a local radio station as dancers for roadshows and they also teach groups of adults and children.

As far as Girl Power and the Spice Girls go, DKV aren't that interested.

"I've never been into the Spice Girls. We admire them for what they've done and they have made a lot of money but they don't inspire us," said Debbie.

Katy Chan, artistic director and member of DKV, said: "We all used to go disco dancing at Oxford Dance Centre when we were about ten years old, which is where we met each other.

"As DKV, it is strictly dance, although we know a singer who would like us to get together. We do street jazz which is more casual than jazz - more funky and hip hop." The girls invent their choreography which is inspired by pop star Janet Jackson, as well as managing themselves and doing their own PR. "We work as a team and are really enjoying it. We are still in the early stages but people are starting to recognise us, basically by word of mouth," said Katy, 27.

"We rehearse for three hours every Sunday and it can take a couple of months to choreograph the movements to a song to get it totally right," said Debbie.

Katy said Vanessa gets the most nervous before a performance but usually things tend to go smoothly and according to plan. "Mind you, when we were performing in the Cowley Centre, I got so into the dance movements that I went off on my merry old way and stopped doing the syncronised movements with the twins!

"It was quite funny because Debbie and Vanessa didn't know what was going on, but it worked out OK in the end."

But although they are mighty fine dancers in front of an audience, when the girls go clubbing at Oxford's Old Fire Station, they won't stand on the podiums and show off their funky movements.

"No chance of that! We are more into drinking than dancing when we aren't performing," laughed Vanessa.

So, if you are fed up with the River Dance featured in B*Witched's C'est La Vie video, or Sporty Spice's Kung Fu kicks, turn the TV off and try to catch DKV Dance Company somewhere near you soon.

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