Text by Rachelle Chapman

When Fredric first asked me to write this report, I was surprised because I had thought that with Bracknell being my first competition nerves would take over, and all coherent wording would cease to exist! That said, I am very honoured to have been asked and I will do my best to describe just how marvellous my experience was.

As it was my first competition, I had no real idea of what to expect. I’d heard from other people in my classes that it was a long, but extremely rewarding day. Wiith that in mind I threw myself into preparations in the weeks leading up to the event.

Thankfully I was placed in the adults section. This meant I got to avoid the dreadfully early start that the children had. I woke about 9:30 to the delightful sound of my sister reminding me that today was the day and it was time to dance! My Dad had volunteered to chaperone for the day and he was giving me a wide berth whilst I slapped on the war paint and tried to make my normally unruly hair go into submission. Pretty soon we were cruising down the M4 with a bag of Round trees Randoms to quell the nerves that were forming in my stomach.

After a brief panic attack of not being able to find everyone, we located them and the competition was underway. I got a glimpse of the last of the children and they were spectacular. DanceRite had six kids competing, which was more than ever before. I saw them in the rehearsal a week previously and all of them looked very impressive. A special mention must go to Diana who got a recall, despite it being her competition debut. James Maslin did well and was placed third in Latin in his category. Well done!

The first thing that struck me was the colour: the deep brown of the tans in contrast to the vast array of dresses which were gracing the floor. After the children’s presentation of the medals in the Latin, the clock had ticked to 2:30 and it was on to the floor we go. As there were a few too many people in my category, Adrian saved the day and guided me through my Waltz. A great deal of the dance is a blur as I was caught up in it, trying to perfect my steps. Other than minor slips it went well and everyone else did superb. After a long wait, the results were called out, but sadly I did not place. However, a fantastic display from Laura was witnessed, which won her a place in the Ballroom finals.

Once the results were announced and the finalists rewarded it was a quickstep into the Latin and Jive was looming. I dashed to change into my Latin dress but not without a little practise in the changing rooms when a certain song called “Dance with Me tonight” by one Olly Murs came on. A nice little moment of serendipity I must admit.
Back on the floor, we whipped through a quick warm up and it was the moment to Jive our feet off. It went a lot better than I had hoped and between all the social dance test people we placed in the finals with Natalie and Laura breezing through, taking 3rd place between them.
Overall as a school DanceRite did very well with many finalists, along with a host of recalls and semi finalists. I suppose how one reacts to success depends on the individual. Personally I was not saddened by not getting a recall as it was my first time and the intention was not to win but to soak in the atmosphere of a real contest.

I am proud to be part of DanceRite and I took just as much from the experience as I would have if I had placed. It was a fantastic day and I hope that I made Vicki and Fredric proud. I was rooting for everyone in their success and I hope we can take that atmosphere to Bournemouth and beyond. Thank you everybody, thank you.

Photo by line picture by Dewars Photography

Pictures

By kind permission of Stuart Maslin.

1 2 ... 5 ►

Result