Month: March 2022

Was the alarm clock set for 5am or 6am? Who knows, changing the clocks is always confusing and also a little nerve wracking in case something goes wrong but, there was nothing to worry about today, everyone was on time for the local competition at West Bridgford.

Although, we were a small group, what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality and we’ve decided today was a day of firsts.

Lisa performed in her first couples event since joining the school, dancing with Chris. They were placed a very respectable 3rd in Waltz and 2nd in Cha Cha Cha.

Irina performed the foxtrot for the first time after only five lessons and for those of you ‘in the know’ you will be well aware how tricky the foxtrot can be. She was recalled to the final and was placed a creditable 9th.

Whilst on the foxtrot, Chris performed his new routine for the first time and after a recall he was placed first in the final.

Craig and Emma performed the Brooklyn Tango for the first time in competition. Both as a couple and in the individual event partnered by Robert and Louise (I’m not sure which was the most scary!). They were placed first in couples and first & second in individuals.

Scarlett was recalled to the final in both her Waltz and Cha Cha Cha competition. And was awarded a first place for her Waltz. This was rewarded with not only a trophy but also a sash and an Easter egg.

Finally in our team today we had Andrew and Dawn and I’m going to say their first was that they danced a competition together for the first time in a very long time. It was lovely that they were back in the fray. Together they performed Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba and Paso Doble. All dances were recalled to the final and they were placed 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 3rd respectively.

All in all it was a lovely day. Everyone achieving their given purpose for the day. Additionally all Mum’s were entered into the Mother’s Day raffle (where Estelle, Scarlett’s Mum, won a prize), we had cake to celebrate Andy’s birthday and we were all home in time to enjoy the last of the sunshine and dinner time.

Our Mystery Blogger this time was of course Karly. Thank you all for taking part and guessing and to Karly for writing such a lovely article. Well done to Emma who was the first to correctly identify the identity of our blogger, a prize will be winging its way to you.

After 2 years of social distancing, wearing masks and the rules of six; it had been a long anticipated wait to spend the day social dancing, wearing sparkly dresses and to see the Festival Hall back filled with eager dancers awaiting their turn to take to the floor for a Dancesteps competition once again. 

Commencing the proceedings was the keenly contested over 50s category, who showcased a beautiful waltz and quickstep, which set the bar for the rest of us fellow competitors. The standard of dancing throughout the whole day was high- clearly everybody had been doing their homework!

Following the ballroom section was the classical sequence and it was wonderful to see so many competitors taking part in this event. The juveniles danced a delightful Waverley Two Step, whilst the juniors and adults took to the floor and demonstrated the Honolulu Waltz- a new dance for many of us- and the Tango Serida (one of my personal favourites)! They were danced beautifully by all; it must have been a very difficult task for the adjudicators to have decided who made it through to the final rounds! 

My favourite dance of the day had to be the event that drew the competition to a close- the 16-35 couples jive! As per tradition, the final jive of the day had to be danced to the infamous 00s classic- “Reach for the Stars”, a song which always reminds me of my childhood! The dancers all gave an electric performance, even after a long day of competing, and it was a refreshing change to be able to sit back and enjoy this competition from the side-lines! 

Of course, the day would not be complete without a barn dance before the final trophies and tokens were given out. The floor was filled with laughter and smiles as dancers, spectators, parents and grandparents all took part in sharing a dance together- something everybody needed after the previous two years! 

It must be said that, what makes these Dancesteps events so special, is the abundance of support and enthusiasm that echoes around the room for each and every event- it truly wouldn’t be the same without it! 

It was a pleasure to be back on the dancefloor with our “dancing family” and I for one, cannot wait until the next event!

Remember two years ago, early one March morning we all set off to Kirkby in Ashfield to our Dancesteps competition with no more to think about than whether we had our dance clothes and shoes, would we remember our steps, would we be coming back delighted with our performances or thinking should I have smiled more? Who knew what a pandemic was and “social distancing” was something you did at a party when you wanted to avoid someone. Barely three weeks later and we were all in lockdown not knowing when we might be dancing again!

It has been a long haul but finally we were able to step out onto the floor once more and also meet up with friends we haven’t seen, in some cases, for two years. We have lost a few people along the way but the vast majority of you have been steadfastly loyal to dancing and the school, returning to lessons when able and ploughing on regardless of whatever barriers were thrown across our path. We applaud your dedication and were delighted with an almost full turnout in celebration of a return to near normality.

Our mystery blogger will return with their report of the day shortly and there is a prize of course for the first person to guess their identity correctly.

For some today it was their very first outing and for others the first time at a dance event for two years so it was all about getting back into it and enjoying the day. We had seven other schools joining us, with some experienced competitors so the competition was by no means easy, particularly in some events. Everyone was a winner and of course we had many finalists but in the role of honour by taking first places today were Tabatha, Grace S, Emma, Peter, Craig, Neil, Grace P, Karen, Josh & Grace, Paul & Karen, Paul, Grace P & Tabatha, Paul & Chloe, Kaitlyn, Brooke, Allison, Josh and Chloe & Brooke

A huge thank you to all our partners today for coming along to practice at lessons and also for their hard work on the day: Ruth, Liam, Grace, Josh, Craig, Emily, Karen, Emma and Stuart. Also a big thank you to everyone else who helped make the day a success: Auntie Joan, Julie, Andrew, Jean, Rob and Debbie, we couldn’t do it without your assistance.

Boris said you were all amazing and he was so excited to be back and see so many of his chums again. He can’t wait for the next outing.