‘Keep Smiling and Dancing’: Children Attacked at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class Remembered
On Monday, a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for kids in Southport, England, who’d just begun their summer vacation, became the site of a horrific knife attack. Three girls died in the attack. Several other children, plus a couple of adults, suffered serious injuries.
On Tuesday, July 30, the Merseyside Police Department released the names of the young victims: Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Aguiar, 9. A vigil will be held to honor them tonight in Southport at 6 p.m. local time.
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The families of the children have shared tributes in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy.
The family of King, the youngest victim, said in a statement, “No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.”
“Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that,” Aguiar’s family said in a statement. “Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.”
One of Aguiar’s relatives also shared a tribute on social media: “A lump in the throat….you were just an innocent child…..a happy girl….smiling….who had a bright life ahead of her….Which a despicable being took from you…without mercy or pity…without any reason…. “Look after your parents….Who suffer…..Who are desolate…destroyed….look after them….Fly high our little star….I love you” (via the BBC).
One of King’s teachers, Natasha Sandland at Marshside Primary School, said they were “deeply saddened” by the death of “one of our brightest and wonderful shining stars in Bebe. Right now our focus is on supporting Bebe’s family and her friends, our staff and our community who have been left numb by this tragic incident. As a school community we will be grieving together as we stand with others in Southport.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer Stephen, a teacher at Farnborough Road Infant School, described Stancombe as a “kind and caring friend to all who met her,” adding: “Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her father’s shoulders, and even at her early age she was such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.”
Political officials in Portugal also released a statement as Aguiar’s family had emigrated to the U.K. from the island region of Madeira. “It is with deep sadness that I received the news on the attack that took place yesterday in Southport in the United Kingdom, for which I have no words to describe,” said Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. “On my behalf and that of the Portuguese government I express heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the British government and people.”
In releasing names and photographs of the victims, Merseyside police said the families “are being supported by specialist officers.” They also “asked that their privacy is respected at this time.”
According to the latest reports, seven children were brought to Alder Hay Children’s Hospital in Liverpool following the attack, including Aguiar. The hospital said in a recent statement that the five remaining children are “continuing to receive treatment,” with two “in critical care but currently in a stable condition.” Two adults also remain in critical condition.
Swift responded to the tragedy, writing: “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
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