The Festival Hall at Kirkby is one of the closest venues we visit and is where we have held our competition for many years. It was also the site of the NATD Qualifier today and it was great to be in the brand new venue which has excellent facilities as well as a spacious sports hall in which to dance which is much lighter and airier. Also, for those who will be coming along in March was also a bit warmer than we are used to!
The object of today’s outing was to qualify for the NATD Medallist of the year event in Blackpool next July and although there was a good crowd present most of the events were straight finals. Nonetheless it was more competition practice for those who came along and an opportunity to try out new things. We had some new additions to the team today as well as the welcome return of some who have been missing recently.
The juvenile and junior competitors all had a recall to make their finals and both Olivia and Scarlett secured a place in their ballroom final finishing third and fifth respectively. Brooke and Megan, who was competiting with us for the first time today, both made the final of their ballroom event with Brooke winning and Megan being placed a highly respectable third. Brooke also made the final of her Latin event finishing in third place.
The adults followed with wins today for Paige (with Fearn placed second behind her in both ballroom and Latin), Karly, Karen, Carol, Allison and Emily. There were also a number of solo performances today which is character building, having to dance on a large floor by yourself is no easy task. For some this was not the first time but for others it was a whole new experience. Well done therefore to Craig, Charlotte, Chris, Paul, Peter, Kathryn, Alison, Lisa, Dawn and Andrew who stood up to this test without caving under the pressure.
The day had a lovely atmosphere and as always the supporters were on hand to give everyone a cheer as they went round the floor. Everyone was able to qualify to dance at Blackpool and so we had a good day overall. The Bears, of course, were in prime position casting an experienced eye over all the proceedings. There was also a new addition to the team today who had to be shown the ropes but will no doubt become a regular member of the gang.
The NATD exams will follow in two weeks time and then we can turn our attention to the Christmas festivities and Boris can take a well earned break.
Our weekend in numbers: 28 hours in the ballroom, 18 Semi-Finalists, 49 Finalists, 7 wins, 9 very tired little bears!
Grand Finals returned with a bang and although we were there last year things were still not quite back to normal then. This year felt more like the Grand Finals of old and whilst we didn’t see much of the pyrotechnics outside there were plenty of fireworks in the ballroom.
Doors opened at 8am on Saturday morning and finished shortly after 9pm on the Sunday. Sitting watching every step danced during that time and not moving for anything was of course Boris, ably assisted by the various members of the bear supporters club.
As always it was the children who began proceedings and with the juveniles dancing first, the juniors got to have a lie in. With Olivia, Tabatha and Kaitlyn we had a small team and with two first timers to this event it was always going to be tough. Nevertheless they all ‘stepped up to the plate’ and rose to the occasion. Olivia had three heats in her first round and three rounds to make a final which she achieved and ended up with a brilliant 5th place in her ballroom event. Tabatha was also competing here for the first time and she too had a to work hard. Her first round had four heats and she would have to dance in four rounds to reach the final. She danced really well and made the semi-final but sadly didn’t make it to the final on this occasion. Still it was a great result in a tough event. Kaitlyn did not have it easy either but having been coming to these events since she was quite small she knew what to expect. It was to be her last juvenile competition before moving into the junior ranks and again she put on a terrific performance, progressing through three rounds to finish fourth in her ballroom final.
The sequence events came next and whilst there were less entries the standard was still high. Both Kaitlyn and Tabatha had to work hard to make the final and finished second and fourth respectively. Another good result for both. Finally it was the Latin and although our young dancers did well and got recalls none of them made it to the semi-final stage.
Tabatha and Kaitlyn were in action once more in the couples events dancing the Tango and Cha Cha Cha, not the easiest of dances. As with the other events there were several heats and four rounds to navigate to get to the finals. With not much practice together beforehand they danced really well and did get two recalls which was another positive result.
Having been shown the way by the juveniles it was the turn of the juniors and today we had Chloe and Brooke. For Brooke it was the first time at this event whilst Chloe was an old hand, having danced here as both juvenile and junior. There was going to be no let-up in the quantity or quality of the competition however and both girls had to produce some of their best dancing to progress. Brooke reached the semi-final of her ballroom event and backed it up with a recall in her Latin. Chloe had a recall in her ballroom event but sadly couldn’t repeat this in the Latin. In the sequence event Brooke finished third with Chloe fourth although both could have been placed higher. It was then on to the couples events and again there were several heats and rounds to contend with. Chloe and Brooke produced an accomplished display of both their Tango and Cha Cha Cha routines and were delighted to get a recall in the Latin.
Overall then we had had a great start to the weekend and well done to everyone involved.
Sunday morning started early (as always) and the benchmark had been set so how would our dancers fare today?
We began with the sequence events so everyone was in action from the start. The under 35 years section saw most of our dancers recalled to the semi-final but Josh, Grace, Craig and Emily all reached the final, finishing second, third, fourth and fifth respectively. Emily was especially pleased to make her first sequence final at this event. In the over 35 years event, Paul, Karen, Serena and Chris filled the top four places in that order whilst Irina, dancing for the first time at this event, finished sixth. She also went on later to get a recall in her Latin event. The over 50 years section saw the largest entry of the sequence events and we had eight dancers involved so not all were going to be in the final. Again, most made the semi-final and the recalls must have been close as only five were brought back to the final, all from our dance school. Carla won with Andrew second, Peter third, Allison fourth and Neil Fifth. We couldn’t have had a better result. The over 65 years section was a new creation for this year and again we had a strong entry. Dennis was the eventual winner with Rosalind second, Sue third and Hazel fifth. It was a real team effort with Josh, Grace, Emily and Craig all partnering alongside competing themselves and a fantastic showing from the team. The bears were so excited they almost fell off their seats.
There was hardly time to catch our breath before the ballroom and Latin events began and there were going to be no easy pickings today. Everyone got at least one recall in their events but reaching the semi-finals of at least one of their events were: Peter, Andrew, Carla, Dawn and Neil. Lisa, another first timer to this event, reached the final of both her events and was placed fifth in the ballroom and third in Latin, a brilliant achievement. Making their ballroom finals were Craig, Chris, Grace and Paul and making their Latin finals were Carol, Serena, Hazel and Allison. Josh, Dennis and Sue all made both their ballroom and Latin finals. Special mention should go to Rosalind, who won her ballroom event and also came fourth in the Latin, and Charlotte who came sixth in her Latin event, the first time she has made a final at Grand Finals.
The ballroom and Latin couples events are always the finale of a very long weekend and by this time everyone just wants to go out and enjoy themselves. Whilst no less serious, there is always much more smiling apparent. All the couples danced well but making the finals were Neil & Carla and Peter & Carol, the only couple to make both ballroom and Latin finals finishing fourth and fifth respectively. However, Josh & Grace, Chris & Serena and Andrew & Dawn all won their ballroom couples events, a fine way to bring proceeding to a close. It was then back to the hotel then for some food, celebratory drinks, a few traditional games and a chance to reflect on the high points of weekend.
Of course we must thank our supporters for their never ending encouragement and help and also the others who partner alongside competing themselves: Josh, Grace, Craig and Emily. Special thanks also to our dedicated team of teachers: Luke and Liam for their partnering both at this event and also the qualifiers and also putting themselves out to travel up for lessons with their respective partners before events, and to Ruth for keeping control of the clipboard throughout Saturday and Sunday so we all know where we should be, with whom and when, a crucial part of the team effort.
Boris has told us how delighted he was to be part of such a dedicated, friendly and supportive team and looks forward to seeing everyone at future events, he was a bit sad however that he didn’t get to see Arabella but hopes to see her again soon!
