Duesbury Aldred Dance Centre Blog

The NATD exam sessions usually take place at the beginning of December and this year was no exception. It was going to be a long day with over 140 medals being taken and our examiner, Mrs Burnett, was prepared for almost a ten hour session with few breaks. Everyone was extremely well turned out as usual and all were determined to give their best.

There were a few minor hiccups along the way but everyone gave a good account of themselves and the examiner was very complimentary about the ovreall standard of presentation and dancing. Thank you all for your efforts, you are a credit to the school.

Don’t forget the presentation dance is Sunday 31st January at Geroge Spencer Academy. Make sure it’s in your diary!

Apologies for the late blog but we had a few issues which have now been resolved.

Boris had “bearly” recovered from Blackpool before we were once again in action on the competition floor. The occasion was the local NATD event which we have supported for many years but which had a different format to usual and involved a mixture of couples and individual events. We had four couples in action: Madeleine & Emily (dancing as adults for the first time) Lydia & Craig, Grace & Josh and Carla & Neil. In the individual Latin events all of our dancers were placed either 1st or 2nd which was great.

In the couples events all performed brilliantly once again with Emily and Madeleine taking 2nd in one of their events and Josh and Grace, Craig & Lydia and Neil & Carla placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in one of theirs. In the over 35 years section Neil and Carla took 1st place and in the under 35 years section Josh and Grace won followed by Craig and Lydia in 2nd and Emily and Madeleine in 3rd.

There were two Special Events today which were open to all comers. Josh and Grace won the Sally Ann Cha Cha Cha trophy which was given in memory of Roy & Dorothy Moxon and then in the Rose Bowl event Josh & Grace won yet again with Carla and Neil 2nd, Emily and Madeleine 3rd and Craig & Lydia 4th so we could not really have done any better.

A great day for all concerned and well done to you all.

Of course we still have the NATD medal session to come followed by the eagerly anticipated Strictly George Spencer and then the Christmas party, before Santa comes calling, so plenty still to keep us all busy.

Watch out for future reports and also the list of diary dates for next year.

We had barely paused for breath after Grand Finals before we were on with the next activity which was a Latin workshop for some of our competitors and medallists. We had invited former World, European and British Latin Champion, Matthew Cutler, who also featured on “Strictly Come Dancing” winning the show with partner Aleisha Dixon.

 

This was something new which we had not tried before within the school and so we were not quite sure how it would be received. Nevertheless it was greeted with great enthusiasm and anticipation as many of our dedicated dancers gathered, eager to learn what Matthew had to say. He started by explaining in detail some of the basic techniques and fundamentals of Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba and Rumba and went on to explain how some of these could be developed to improve Latin styling and presentation, all of which had helped him to become a Champion. Matthew explained that it was important to show clarity in what you are doing be that in terms of leg action, foot placement or arm placement as well as giving tips on how this could be improved. I am sure that our dancers appreciated not only what Matthew was telling them but also seeing these basic figures and actions demonstrated so beautifully.

 

Of course time was short and some of the principles he explained will take much practice to be able to replicate but there was plenty, I am sure, for everyone to think about and take away to practice in their lessons and classes. Hopefully everyone found it a worthwhile exercise and one which they may be interested in repeating in the future.

 

For the rest of this term we will be working hard towards our medals at the beginning of December followed closely by Strictly George Spencer, an event not to be missed but unfortunately now completely sold out! Following that we have the annual Christmas party and then the big day itself. Plenty to look forward to therefore – so watch this space for further reports.

Blackpool can be a scary place at the best of times and there were definitely some strange characters roaming the streets this Halloween. Sometimes it was hard to tell if some were actually in fancy dress or not!!

 

Nevertheless this Halloween marked the start of the ISTD Grand Finals weekend in which we had 28 dancers competing, supported by an army of parents, grand parents, family, friends and well wishes. Grand Finals are always a major team outing and this year was no exception with almost 90 of us in total, all providing terrific support to each other through the highs and inevitable lows (of which there were few thankfully) of the weekend.

Everyone was immaculately turned out, many of the ladies particularly, sporting new dresses and all looked fantastic, upholding the traditions of the school. Grand Finals are a tough business however where dancers are pitched against some of the best in the country at their particular age and grade, who have also qualified to be there by beating others at events held all over the country. With some 1400 competitors over the two days, getting a recall would be an achievement let alone making a semi-final or final!

 

The weekend begins with the children early on Saturday morning and first in to bat for our team was Luke in the under 6 year’s section. Luke is new to the team this year and this was his first Grand Finals. Seemingly unfazed by this however he went on to finish 3^rd in his Waltz and 5^th in his Cha Cha Cha, a great result. The Juniors may be low in numbers but this is certainly not the case in terms of their dancing ability, all receiving at least a recall in one of their events. Molly recorded our first victory of the weekend, winning with her Waltz and Grace P made it a one, two by being awarded 2^nd place in the same event, a fantastic result from both. Grace also reached the semi-final of her Latin event and reached her ballroom, couples semi-final with Olivia. Well done to all our dancers: Luke, Leila, Grace S, Olivia, Molly, Grace P and Emily S. It was a great start to the weekend.

 

Although the weekend runs at break neck pace there is a brief moment to unwind a little and following the end of the juniors events is the evening dance, this year with a Halloween flavour. Some had dressed up and gone to town on their outfits, in our party we were joined by Count Dracula and his bride as well as a couple of black cats and an assortment of other misfits. There was the usual dancing and demonstration and a brief moment of relaxation was enjoyed by all.

 

All too soon, 8.30am to be precise, it was time to begin once again this time with the Sequence events. These events are in age groups but ungraded and so are particularly keenly contested. Once again our dancers proved themselves up to the challenge with Leila taking 3^rd in the juvenile section and Josh, a 4^th in the Under 35 years section. Grace P once again made the semi-final and in the Over 35years event Elizabeth, Karen H, Serena, Neil and Carla were all in the final placed, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th, 6^th and 7^th respectively. In the Over 50 year’s section Andy won once again making it a hat trick of wins in this event and five times in total. In this event Allison was also placed 2^nd, Sue 5^th and Dawn 7^th. We were therefore off to a flying start.

 

Also competing today for the first time was Karly and she made the semi-final of one of her events, a great result for the first time out.

 

Elizabeth, having recently returned after a break from competing for a couple of years whilst having Isabella, set the bar with a win in her ballroom event. A result she repeated in the Latin. Craig followed this up with a win in his ballroom event, which is amazing since he only started dancing less than two years ago at our Strictly George Spencer event.

Josh won his ballroom event and also made all of his finals both, individual and couples. Serena and Karen H made both of their respective ballroom and Latin finals, Dennis came 2^nd in his ballroom event and Karen C came 3^rd in her ballroom event beating former Business Secretary, Vince Cable into the bargain! In the Latin events Neil also added to the list of finalists with a 5^th for his Samba.

 

Chris, Sarah, Sue, Allison, Geraldine, Andy, Paul and Carla all reached semi-finals in one or more of their events and everyone else got one or more recalls. Some fantastic results all round, well done everyone.

The couples events followed and Josh and Sarah were placed 2^nd and 4^th respectively in their ballroom and Latin events, Andy and Dawn 4^th in both of their events, Dennis and Sue 3^rd and 7^th in their events, Neil and Carla 2^nd and 3^rd in their events and Allison and Serena 7^th in their ballroom event. Paul and Karen made the semi final of the very difficult Under 35 ballroom section of their event. Again some great results.

 

And so we departed the ballroom fifteen hours after we had arrived, a little tired but very satisfied. Boris and the mascots did a fine job supporting us through every step from start to finish and have now gone to lie in a very darkened room.

 

We owe a massive thank you to those who came along just to partner: Luke (along with Julie and Charlie), Alex and Liam. We could not do it without your dedication and willingness to give up your time to support the school’s success. We also must thank Ruth for helping to keep us in order during the busy periods on Sunday and making sure we were all in the right place at the right time with the right partner.

 

Well done to everyone involved whether as dancer or supporter you all help to make it a terrific weekend to be involved in.

 

There is little time for the grass to grow however, we have the Latin Workshop next weekend followed by medals and then Strictly George Spencer. See you there!!!

This week found us in Blackpool for the first of our two visits this month. This time it was for the British Sequence Championships, the most prestigious date in the sequence calendar.

Leila was first into action on the Saturday, competing in the juvenile Liberty Two Step in which she finished 2^nd, a feat she also repeated later on in the Fylde Waltz competition. A great outcome for her first visit to this event.

The following day saw most of our adult competitors in action, Liam & Alex, Stuart & Andrea, Dawn & Andy, Carla & Neil and Dennis & Sue. Dawn & Andy and Carla & Neil were all recalled to their semi-final and Stuart and Andrea finished 4^th in the Senior Classical Sequence Championship. Unfortunately Liam had not been well all the week before but showing great fortitude, rather than withdrawing, he battled on and in the end they finished a creditable 3^rd.

Monday saw the Over 35 years Classical Sequence competition and three of our couples were in action once again all dancing their best in the fabulous Empress Ballroom. Inspired by this iconic venue both Dawn & Andy and Sue & Dennis made the final finishing 5^th and 7^th respectively, a great achievement. Carla and Neil reached the semi-final, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Monday is also the day of the Inventive Dance competition in which Louise and I won the Classical Sequence section with the Houston Tango taking our total number of wins at this event to 14 (a new record!)

All too soon it was the final day of the Championships and in action on the Tuesday were: Luke and Sophie in the Professional Classical Sequence Championship, Liam & Alex in the Amateur Classical Sequence Championship and Stuart & Andrea in the Senior Modern Sequence all dancing to the terrific, live music of the Empress Orchestra. Who could not help but be inspired in these circumstances, to give their best and they all did just that. Stuart and Andrea once again finished 4^th in their event, Liam & Alex won their event for the third consecutive time equalling the current record. Luke & Sophie also won their event, reaching the pinnacle of their careers to date to become the coveted British Professional Classical Sequence Champions. The treated us all to a lovely, stylish demonstration of this style in the classic manner in which it should be danced. 

All the ladies dresses were amazing and the men didn’t look too shabby either!! As usual everyone showed great support for each other and shared in the triumphs and disappointments of the others and of course a little civilized celebration was in order afterwards.

All too soon it was time to return home but we could all bask in the warm glow of another highly successful weekend, one which we hope to emulate when we return next week. Congratulations to all involved and needless to say we are proud of you all.

It seems like a long time since we had a school outing and so it was with great excitement that some of our couples set forth to Whitby to gain some pre Blackpool experience. Many of our dancers look forward to the competitions at Whitby, held in the fabulous Spa ballroom perched high on the cliffs overlooking the sea.

We had five couples competing: Andy and Dawn, Dennis & Sue, Paul & Karen, Josh & Grace and Craig & Lydia. Unfortunately Louise and I were adjudicating near Durham so we didn’t arrive until later in the day, just in time to see the Latin.

Josh and Grace, dancing in their first competition together since Grace turned 16 in August, had an exceptional day winning all five of their competitions. We look forward to their continued success in the future. Andy & Dawn were placed first in both of the senior finals with Dennis & Sue placed second. Paul & Karen made all of their finals receiving 2nd, 3rd, two 4th’s and a 5th placings.

Unfortunately a few days before the competition Lydia tore a muscle in her shoulder. However she was still keen to compete although the injury naturally impaired their performance. Nevertheless they still made all of their semi finals and managed a 5th place in the Samba competition. It just goes to show the dedication of all our dancers and their determination to not allow set backs get in the way.

An enjoyable and successful day was had by all and of course a trip to Whitby would not be complete without a visit to the Magpie Cafe for local fish and chips!

Of course we have many activities on the horizon and Boris and the Bears have been busy making sure that all preparations are complete for the coming weeks. Firstly we have the British Sequence Championships at Blackpool followed two weeks later by the ISTD Grand Finals also in Blackpool, in which most people are involved either as competitors or supporters. I am sure both will be great weekends and we hope to be able to report further achievements.

We then have the Medal Day in December followed quickly by Strictly George Spencer and then the Christmas Party to round of the year.

There is plenty to look forward to, so watch this space for further reports.

It was a grey and wet morning which greeted us as we set forth to the last qualifier before Grand Finals at Blackpool in October and therefore the last chance for some to qualify in all their events. Our spirits were not dampened however and we had almost a full turnout of competitors and bears for the occasion. David even came along on his Birthday to see his grand-daughter, Grace S, who still needed to qualify in her Latin event which, happily she did. Also completing their qualifications today were Iris and Karen C so a huge well done to you all.

As always their were many highlights but to report a few:

Luke finishing 2nd in both his Ballroom and Latin events competing in the Under 8 years category and wowing the crowd with his Samba in the 3 dance event.

Leila taking 1st place in both her ballroom and Latin events, finishing 4th in the Sequence and winning both Ballroom and Latin couples events with Jack.

Karen H and Allison both completing a hat trick of wins in their Ballroom, Latin and Sequence events.

Grace P winning both her Ballroom and Latin events and also winning both Ballroom and Latin couples events with Olivia who also made both her Ballroom and Latin Finals.

Molly making the final of the Sequence event as well as her Ballroom and Latin Finals.

Leila, Miriam and Grace S all making their Latin final with Grace S also making her Ballroom Final.

Craig winning his ballroom event, making the finals of his Latin and also the couples Ballroom and Latin events with Lydia who also made the final of her Ballroom and Latin events.

Chris, Serena, Neil and Dawn all winning both their Ballroom and Latin events as well as making their Sequence finals.

Josh and Sarah D winning their Ballroom couples event.

Christine and Carla both winning their Ballroom events and making the final of their Sequence events with Carla also making the final of her Latin event. Christine did not compete in the Latin section

Paul, Hazel, Sue, Dennis, Geraldine, Iris, and Karen C all made finals too so great day was had all round and the encouragement from our band of supporters was fantastic as usual.

We must also record a huge thank you to our partners on the day namely Luke and Liam who come along especially for this sole purpose. Thanks also to Josh for his contribution and to Karen H for resuming her partnering together with the added responsibilities of looking after Olivia.

For some the excitement of the day was just all too much!

Boris Bear sends his congratulations to everyone and says it has been a privilege seeing all your performances over the last few months, a view echoed by all his co-mascots. He now heads off on his own Summer break to Bearmuda and is looking forward to a bit of R and R before the hard work begins in earnest in September. He hopes you have a pleasant holiday season and looks forward to seeing everyone again in Blackpool if not before.

Following on from an exhausting day the week before some of our intrepid dancers were once again in action at the Supadance Championships, a pretigious sequence event held at the lovely Walsall Town Hall. Liam and Alex and Stuart and Andrea were in action in the Amatuer and Senior Classical Sequence Championships respectively. I am pleased to report that Liam and Alex won their event and Stuart and Andrea were placed third, a position they also secured in their Modern Sequence event.

Andy & Dawn, Neil & Carla and Dennis & Sue were all in action too and all three couples made the final of their Modern Sequence event against a strong field.

Andy & Dawn and Neil & Carla also made their Classical Sequence final with Andy & Dawn finishing 3^rd and Neil & Carla 5^th. In the Open Saunter Together event Andy & Dawn and Dennis & Sue both made the final finishing 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

Everyone rose to the occasion and gave a great performance with some noticeable improvements. Well done to you all.

Apologies for those who have been waiting to read the report from our own competition which was delayed for a number of reasons and thank you for “bearing” with us. Needless to say it was a fantastic day with a great atmosphere and support throughout. Thank you to all those who helped in any way. Luke and Ruth for partnering along with those of you who partnered as well as competed, Andy on the music, Paula for helping with the scrutineering and Maria, Beverley, Anita and Janet for helping with the door and raffle.

As a special treat we have a report from a guest blogger (do you know who it can be?)

“As the sun rose on the longest day for the revellers at Stonehenge, our dance school made their way to one of the best competitions of the year. Long Eaton was the destination and West Park leisure centre was the venue. Following on from a slightly extended warm up (which everyone was grateful for) the shoes were brushed, the tans were glowing and all the outfits finished ready for the competition to begin. From the moment the first dancers took to the floor the lively and supportive crowd cheered on all of the competitors and on occasions sang like a (slightly out of tune) choir to a fantastic range of music. It was nice to hear so many new songs played at the competition and was a real pleasure to dance to this really exciting selection.

This competition is always a good one for a range of competitors and it was great to see so many starters taking their first steps. For more experienced dancers grouping the competitions by age ensured the chance for recalls and for less experienced dancers to nip at the toes of some of our more experienced dancers. Everyone danced well, with this blogger’s highlight being the duels between Paul and Karen and Lydia and Josh and also the Viennese Waltz selection. John Williams’s Harry Potter theme tune is such a lovely song to do this dance to and there was some real magic on the dance floor throughout the day.

The day was also nicely broken up by the raffle (I won nothing) and a barn dance managed to wake the room up and stop the thoughts of the post chicken mid afternoon snooze. As the sun began to set and the nights begin to draw in again our dancers left with smiles on their faces and bags which were slightly heavier due to all of the trophies making their way home. Well done everyone!”

Thank you for that ………????

There were many highlights of course but here is the Hall of Fame of our winners and finalists:

Couples Winners and Finalists:

Jack and Leila – winning all their events

Emily and Madeleine – winning three out of their five events

Josh and Lydia – winning their ballroom events and being placed 2^nd in their latin events

Paul and Karen – winning their latin events and being placed 2^nd in their other events

Dennis and Sue – winning their ballroom event

Andy and Dawn – winnng their sequence event

Serena and Allison – winning their latin event

Grace P & Olivia – winning the Viennese Waltz

Individual Event Winners:

Luke

Miriam

Leila

Molly

Allison K

Rebecca (entering her first competition)

Individual Finalists:

Fearn

Grace S

Eleanor

Grace P

Olivia

Sarah D

Karly

Craig

Sarah S

Karen C

Serena

Chris

Geraldine

Keshni (finishing with a 2^nd and 3^rd in her first competition)

Debbie

In many cases our finalists were only beaten by other team members from the school. Well done to everyone it was a great day. We now take a small breather before the final Blackpool Qualifier at Pudsey. Don’t miss it!!

The team was out in force for the annual Sequence Medallist event organised by the ISTD. For some it was another opportunity to qualify for the Blackpool grand finals and of those still needing to qualify I am delighted to report that Iris, Karen C, Hazel, Sarah D, Elizabeth and Luke all managed to achieve just that with both Iris and Elizabeth winning their respective events.

The classical sequence events came first and there were winning performances from Molly, Chris, Serena, Josh and Elizabeth, for whom this was her first competition for over 2 years so a welcome return to the fold. Molly, Grace P and Olivia took 1st, 2nd and 3rd a feat they repeated in both the modern and Latin sequence sections although Olivia came 2nd and Grace P 3rd in the later event. Elizabeth, Allison, Karen H, Andy, Neil and Christine completed a clean sweep of the final in over 35 years event which also had the largest entry of the day.

The Junior and Juvenile couples followed with a very respectable 5th for Leila and Miriam against some experienced opposition. Molly and Emily S came 3rd in the Tango Serida and Grace P and Olivia came 4th again dancing against seasoned competitors.

In the modern sequence events again we had a clean sweep, with Elizabeth, Karen H, Allison, Andy, Iris and Neil completing the final of the over 35 years bronze/silver event. Chris and Hazel came 1st and 2nd respectively in their event as did Christine and Serena. Grace S Leila and Miriam all made their final and Karly (who was a first timer at this event) backed up her 5th in the Classical with a 4th in the modern sequence and a respectable 3rd in the Latin sequence.

The New York Quickstep event for the under 40 years couples was next and this dance is a recent addition to the Championship list for open competitors and so provided a challenge for some of our dancers. Nevertheless Josh and Lydia, Craig and Charlotte and Paul and Karen took up the challenge and aquitted themselves very well with Josh and Lydia being placed a highly creditable 4th.

The highly contested three dance events followed and making the final of the Junior section were Grace P, Molly and Emily S and Paul and Josh made the final of the under 35  years event. In the over 35 years section, Karen H was placed 1st with Serena and Neil 2nd and 3rd. Carla came 5th and Chris 6th. Christine won the over 50 years section followed by Allison in 2nd, Andy in 4th and Dennis 5th.

The Latin section was the last section of the day and Luke led the way with an excellent 1st place in his Jive. Christine completed a near perfect day for her with another 1st in her section and Karen H took 1st in her event which also saw Elizabeth, Allison, Andy, Dennis and Carla filling the remaining final places. Whilst Charlotte and Leila and Chris took 2nd places in their respective events.

The final event of the day was the over 40 years Paso Petite competition and since only 7 couples entered (all from our school) it’s no surprise that we took all 7 places in the final. Nevertheless it was a good way to end the day and well done to all the couples who took part, especially those who formed impromtu parterships in order to be able to take part (Hazel and Karen C, Chris and Christine and Geraldine and Iris). The top three places were taken by Neil and Carla in 1st, Andy and Dawn 2nd and Dennis and Sue 3rd.

Of course we must thank all the partners for their invaluable assistance: Luke, Ruth, Alex and Liam as well as those who took up partnering duties alongside competing themselves: Karen H, Josh, Emily S, Grace P, Molly and Paul. Finally a big thank you to those members of the school who assited in helping the day run smoothly, particularly Jean and Maria.

The dust will harldy have settled before our next big event which will be our own competition on June 21st. Make sure you don’t miss it – Boris will be taking note!!!