Dudley and Daventry to be precise!
Yesterday was quite a rare day….double competition day.. Robert and I were at Dudley scrutineering and adjudicating at a sequence competition whilst there was a final NATD qualifier event taking place in Daventry.
In Dudley we were joined by Chris and Lisa who had a very brain intensive day. They had 12 dances to perform, broken down into 3 three dance events, 1 two dance event and a 1 dance event. They delivered each 16 bar routine without any hitches and were rewarded with one 1st place, two 2nd places, a third and a fifth. Congratulations to them both on another improved and successful performance. Also, thanks to Andrew and Dawn for coming along to support the event.
Huge thanks also go to Ruth and Luke who accompanied the other team to Daventry, which by all accounts was a very successful day and below you can read Ruth’s account of the day;
The weather was not enticing as we started the journey down to Daventry this Sunday. The rain was pouring down, and umbrellas were required to get from the car park across the road to the leisure centre. Once inside though, everyone was in good spirit and ready for a day of dance!
Out to secure their Blackpool places and/or get some all important match practice were Rebecca, Karly, Heather, Kathryn and Hazel. There was a busy schedule planned, starting with the latin qualifying events. Rebecca was up first with her Samba in one of the busiest of the adult qualifying events. She earned herself 3rd place. Heather was up next, also with a Samba and also finishing in 3rd place!
Kathryn, Karly and Hazel all had the floor to themselves for their events, and put on good performances which the audience appreciated. It can be a daunting thing when you’re out on the floor by yourself, so well done to them!
Next in the running order were the ballroom qualifying events. These events were only for those who had not already qualified, and as such only Rebecca and Karly were taking part. Both took 1st place in their events and secured their Blackpool places (with Karly also getting double winning sashes!).
Once the serious business of the qualifiers were done, it was time to move into the social events. First was the Jean Johnson Memorial Ragtime Swing event. The adjudicators were told to keep an eye out for the smiling people to recall. Fortunately we had some smiling partnerships in the form of Rebecca and Karly, Kathryn and Hazel, and an impromptu partnership of Heather and Tim (of Broadway Dance Centre). It was a very busy dance floor and 3 heats were needed to start. All 3 couples did well to make it to the semi-final.
Next were the ballroom couples events. Here, Hazel and Kathryn were the only couple in their event, but they took to the floor with determination, and put on a confident performance of their waltz.
The last event of the day was the Rosebowl. This year it was a waltz and was open to dancers dancing with a non-dancer. We were all thrilled to see Rebecca and her grandma taking to the floor. The competition here was fierce, however their practice in the living room the night previously must have paid off as they did get a recall! We think the Jelly Babies they had may have helped too…
And then before we knew it, the day was done, ending with a demonstration of the Cha Cha Slide from our adjudicators! What a treat!
Many thanks to Luke for all his partnering and support on the day. And thank you to the supporters who came along and cheered for our dancers. Sadly we had no bear representation today, but I will tell Boris all about our great day and wonderful dancers next time I see him 😊
Thank you to Ruth for “holding the fort” and for her lovely blog. After a very busy April we can all enjoy a long Bank Holiday weekend before the second ISTD qualifier of the year, which is taking place at, a new to us venue, of Market Harborough. Boris will definitely be there!!