Eleanor Watts

Some would think it brave, some would think it foolish… I personally thought it was incredibly exciting to enter my first ballroom dancing competition in Southend after only a few short weeks of practice. I seem to be increasingly becoming the kind of person that just says “yes!” and worries about the practicalities later and I’m immensely glad because my leap of faith has opened a door into a whole new world I never even knew existed.

My two dances were the Waltz and the Cha Cha Cha. Luckily, the six week beginners course I had recently joined focused on the latter, so I was feeling somewhat prepared for that. The Waltz on the other hand would be slightly more of a challenge. Fredric and Vicki had given me a bit of a crash course in it a few weeks before Southend, so I was as ready as I ever would be considering the circumstances!

The steps are just the beginning though, as my eyes were opened to the world of spray tanning, ballgowns and bling. I was lucky enough to borrow some beautiful dresses and jewellery from Lindy, and some shoes from Julie. I was especially grateful to have them when I opened the door into the hall and I saw my fellow competitors. Everyone looked so gorgeous and eye catching dressed in bright colours and sequins. After two hours spent doing my hair and make up my transformation was so complete that I barely even recognised my own reflection in the mirror.

After arriving at the venue, Carl was kind enough to give me a quick spin on the floor to practice my Waltz. Sadly nerves got the better of me and I don’t think I managed to get a single step right. I returned to my seat feeling like I needed a bit of time to calm down, sat down for about 5 seconds, then rose again as the first event was called. I jittered onto the dancefloor and was put into heat one. So much for having time to collect my thoughts! From there it felt like a bit of an out of body experience… I remember the music beginning, I remember holding onto Fredric (with what can only be described as a vice like grip) and I remember telling myself “don’t look nervous!” even though I felt possibly the most nervous I’ve ever been. I’m not sure that it was a Waltz that would set the world on fire, but I was absolutely over the moon to have done it. When I watch a video of it now I still can’t quite believe it’s me dancing…

I went back to my seat and watched my fellow Dancerite students competing. I waltzed again with Adrian in the couples event feeling much more relaxed, having got one dance under my belt . Then I got changed into my latin dress ready for the cha cha cha. By the time the event rolled around I was raring to go with only a touch of nervous excitement remaining from the morning. It was once again over in a flash, but I got to dance one last time with Adrian before I had to change out of my beautiful dress and back into a boring jeans and a t shirt.

I wasn’t lucky enough to get any recalls, but many of my Dancerite friends did, and a few made finals and placed. I really felt like I’d won just by getting to dance that day and I can’t wait for the next one.

Pictures