ISTD Blackpool 2012

– Children’s event

Text by Rachel Maslin

Saturday 3^rd November started as a freezing cold morning up in ‘Sunny’ Blackpool where many dancers flocked for the weekend to compete and show judges what we could do.

Whilst the Saturday for the adults spelt a day of perhaps travelling to Blackpool or preparing tans and so on, the children were up and into the beautiful Empress Ballroom extremely early!

Amy and James were the two competitors this year from DanceRite and they certainly took to the floor ready to represent the school.  Individually they both danced beautifully with wonderful Waltzes, cha-chas and funky Jives.  James was thrilled to be recalled twice in his Jive, making the semi-finals.  Together, they danced in the couple’s events, and really held themselves well on what can only be described as a very busy and highly competitive dance floor.

After a very long day, both children very tired, couldn’t resist jumping onto that same dance floor during the evening event, not only to have another dance as they have been taught in class with their cha cha and jive, but also to go totally mental in an impromptu ‘Gangnam Style’ which was huge fun!  On behalf of Amy and James, Thank you to Fredric and Vicki for all of their work and support.ISTD Blackpool 2012 result.

– Adults’ Event

Text by Ben Wilton

I awoke on Sunday to sunlight streaming through the bedroom blinds and felt that once-a-year sense of trepidation for the long day ahead. Having danced away the Saturday night in the Winter Gardens ballroom and with our imaginations fired up by the accomplished set of demonstration dances by Natasha Mandelson and Stefano Soldati, it was now nearly our time to step out on the dance-floor in earnest. After stoking up on a hearty fry up breakfast, we set off into the crisp autumn air for the short walk to the Winter Gardens. The ballroom was bursting with competitors and their support teams and, after a brief scouting of the room, I located the DanceRite contingent, all tanned, blinged up and ready for the day’s campaigns ahead. We had an excellent vantage point down the length of the dance-floor and could admire the ballroom in all its newly restored grandeur. We also had no little sight of the competitors from the almost 50 other dance schools who had also made the pilgrimage to the finals, and sizing up the other dancers it looked like being a hard fought day ahead.

The day opened with the solo ballroom events, as competitors took to the floor with Vicki and Fred for their waltzes, quicksteps, foxtrots and tangos. For anyone who has not experienced a Blackpool Final, the day is notable – dancing apart – for the extended periods of waiting around. Every grade and age category has up to four rounds of dancing to get through, and it is a continual challenge to keep warmed up and focussed from one round to the next. It’s easy to lose track of time as there is no natural light in the ballroom and you mark the passage of time by watching who is being recalled and when. Nonetheless, with each successive recall the pace picks up a little and, after 3 hard hours competing, with some hopes dashed and some fulfilled, a number of the school’s dancers had successfully battled their way to their respective finals. Stepping out one last time to fight for final placings, Karl, Natalie, Amanda and myself waltzed and quickstepped our way to bring back a modest haul of ‘silverware’.

The mood then switched to the solo Latin events and the competitors shed their ballroom attire and in favour of their Latin glad rags before regrouping for their cha chas, jives, rumbas and sambas. Again, the competition was intense and the floor was hopelessly crowded in the early rounds, as everyone vied for the attention of the judges. Each round seemed to go in a blur, with only one minute and a bit to savour the experience of performing on the famous dance-floor. But eventually the recalls to the next round came, and slowly, round by round, the judges whittled the competitors down until finally, at 7pm, came the recalls for the finals in each category. Lindy gained a very impressive 3^rd place in her jive, Amanda achieved 5^th place in her gold level samba and I happily gained 6^th in my own cha cha.

As if that wasn’t enough dancing for one day, the pace then picked up another notch for the couples’ sections of the competition, with several DanceRite competitors eager to take to the floor once again. In contrast to the rest of the day, the turnaround between each round here is speedy, to say the least, and the cut of competitors after each round is more severe. And so, after less than an hour, Tory and Matthew had battled their way to their waltz final and glided their way to 4^th place; Suzanne and Simon finished 5^th in their waltz and Amanda and Julie had caught the eye of the judges in the tango, again making the final line up in their section. With barely time to draw breath and having gone beyond any sense of fatigue, the dancers took to the floor again for another hard fought hour in the Latin couples’ events. Again Tory and Matthew distinguished themselves, not least impressively as it was Matthew’s first Blackpool, as, similarly, did Suzanne and Simon, as both couples confidently reached their cha cha finals.

Finally the music died away, the ballroom emptied and everyone made their way back to their respective hotels, with their own thoughts and reflections on their experiences of the day dancing in the most famous ballroom in the world.

Result

Pictures

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