Lilliana Clifton is a solo dancer who placed as the Runner-Up in Series 16 of Britain's Got Talent. She was aged 13, was a schoolgirl and hailed from Liverpool.
Before her audition, Clifton stated that she'd been dancing since she were 4 years old and fell in love with it. She also stated that she watched the show all of the time, and that being on the show just didn't feel real. When asked where she saw herself in 5 years time, she responded that she saw herself training in Cirque Du Soleil and touring worldwide.
In her audition, Clifton performed a dance routine to 'Train Wreck' by James Arthur which included several pirouettes, flips, aerial kicks and a handstand. Bruno remarked 'You're a dramatic actress as well as a fantastic dancer, I saw some excellent ballet steps and the gymnastics was out of this world', with Alesha adding 'Technically, I haven't seen anything like that for a long long time [and] I'm quite speechless actually'.
In her Semi-Final performance, Clifton performed a routine to Sara James' cover of 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush. Alesha praised her performance, stating 'From a technical point of view you are so advanced ... that was first class'. Simon compared Clifton to Series 2 winner George Sampson, remarking 'He had what you had, which was this real desire to do well'. She won the Judges Vote with three votes from Bruno, Alesha and Amanda and advanced onto the Final (Simon's voting intention was never revealed as she had the majority of the vote).
In the Final, Clifton performed a routine to ‘Tattoo’ by Loreen which included several pirouettes and flips. Bruno remarked ‘The torrent of emotions that you released during that number mirrored [the song] perfectly’, with Amanda adding ‘You put everything into [your performance] and the drama was insane tonight’.
Before BGT[]
Clifton is a member of the Dane Bates Collective who reached the Semi-Finals of the preceding series.
After BGT[]
In December 2023, both Clifton & Musa Motha performed a routine to ‘Dancing Is Healing’ by Charlotte Plank, Rudimental and Vibe Chemistry on 'The National Lottery's New Year's Eve Big Bash' which was hosted by Jason Manford and BGT Judge Alesha Dixon.
Trivia[]
- Clifton is the second act (with the first being Marc Spelmann and the third being Jack Rhodes) to make it to the Semi-Finals then the Final on two separate series.
- Ironically, all three acts would go on to place as Runners-Up in the series where they advanced onto the Final.