Duesbury Aldred Dance Centre Blog

‘Brrr! – it’s cold out there’ – a phrase I heard more than once during the morning.

Okay, the weather was bitterly cold, but all thoughts of snow and ice soon melted away as the dancers began their warm-up routines. Once again, The Duesbury Aldred Dance Centre was pleased to open its doors and welcome those who battled the bleak weather: dancers, judges and supporters all. Nerves were clearly visible at the start – as is usual at these competitions – but after the first steps, the dancers began to relax and looked as if they were enjoying themselves.

As I looked out over the dance floor, I was amazed to see how quickly the younger dancers have grown up – juveniles to juniors, juniors to young adults. The adult dancers don’t seem to look any older of course (including me!) When I think back to the first competition that Robert and Louise ran, I can see how much the Duesbury Aldred dance family has grown. Of the many faces present, some remain the same but now dance in a different category, while others – young and old – are just getting started on the competition circuit.

The individual schools appeared to have mustered considerable support, both from fellow dancers and non-dancers who had simply turned up for the joy of watching a grand day of dancing. Audience participation lifted spirits considerably – enabling dancers to give that bit extra and to ‘Reach for the stars’ – a pleasant escape from their ‘9 to 5’ jobs.

Although not quite ‘Strictly’, the dancers were beautifully dressed and attired – attributes that served to compliment their dancing, which was a joy to watch. There were some impressive solo performances given by Geraldine and Neil (and of course their partners). I think they were very brave to do this and certainly deserved their 1^st place!

I’m sure that the dancers would agree when I say that ‘Partners’ deserve special thanks for their efforts – both before and during the main events. ‘Partnering’ is quite an exhausting job, yet somehow they seem to find the energy to keep going – so, well done to them!

Finally, we have the MEDAL PRESENTATIONS! Beaming faces and big smiles for the cameras – especially as the little ones received their trophies. Doesn’t it just melt your heart!

After all the hard work and preparation, I felt quite exhausted, but I look forward to doing it all over again in June – see you there! :o)

Neither the “Beast from the East” nor “Storm Emma” could stop our intrepid dancers from turning out in force to our Dancesteps competition. We had one dance school who were defeated by the weather, two others who were a little depleted and two of our adjudicators couldn’t make it, although we did find two others to step in at short notice, but in true Blitz spirit we “kept calm and carried on”.

There was a fantastic turnout in the circumstances and even following a number of withdrawals there were still four rounds of some events. Dancers and their supporters had made the effort to travel from as far afield as London, Hull and Newbury to be there, showing true dedication and support not only to dance but also their teachers and dance schools. We appreciate the lengths some people went to, to come, when it would have been easier to have not bothered, especially Luke and Liam who both had long journeys in trying conditions.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped on the day or partnered, there were many of you and we all know who you are, days like these cannot happen without people being prepared to step in and lend a hand. We had a number of dancers braving the floor for the first time and they all acquitted themselves well, ably assisted by our more experienced team. To everyone who took part be it as a competitor or spectator you were all great, the atmosphere was tremendous and thank you for helping to make it a fabulous day. Boris remarked that he was quite overwhelmed and it will take him at least a week to recover!

We will have a special report of the day from our “Mystery Blogger”. Who will it be this time?

A week on from Blackpool and off we set again. This time to Castleford, near Leeds for an ISTD qualifier event. This week there was no snow, no road closures and I wasn’t stopped by the Police, so in comparison it was rather an uneventful journey!

The day itself, though, was anything but uneventful. The statistics speak for themselves – 31 dancers, 23 supporters, 30 first place positions and 33 Blackpool qualifications. It was commented on that we were the best dressed school and at the end of the day Miss Byron, the compere and organiser, congratulated our school for the true team spirit shown with everyone clapping and cheering each other along.  We also thought that everyone danced well with a lot of improved performances and signs that points which had been worked on in lessons for sometime, now being shown on the competition floor. Well done to you all, sometimes these comments and observations are more important than the results.

Nevertheless, my report would not be complete without the results. The day started with the Children’s ballroom and Latin events, where wins were recorded for Grace S in her Waltz, Paige in both her Tango and Jive, Chloe in her Jive, Isobel in her Jive and then in couples Luke & Chloe in their Quickstep and Jive.

It was then time for Sequence, where Grace S, Chloe and Isobel danced three times to ultimately be placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. The under 35yrs was, as always, a very hard fought event with recalls for Josh, Grace P, Emily, Craig, Karly and Charlotte Be. With semi final places to Josh, Grace P, and Emily. Then reaching the final and being placed 4th and 2nd respectively were Josh and Grace P. There were larger entries than usual in the over 35yrs. With a win being achieved by Paul, closely followed by Neil in 3rd, Karen in 4th and Serena in 5th. In the over 50yrs, again there were three rounds, with semi final spots being taken by Dennis, Sue, Allison, Geraldine, Christine and Carla. Progressing through to the final and being placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, were Dennis, Christine, Sue and Carla.

It was then time for the Adult Ballroom events where wins were achieved by Charlotte Be, Grace P, Chris, Hazel, Josh, Paul, Allison, Sue, Karen and Christine. In the Adult Latin events there were wins for Grace P, Allison, Sue, Karen and Geraldine.

In the couples events we also had great success, Craig & Emily won the Quickstep, with Karly & Charlotte Be securing runners-up position. Chris & Serena won their Quickstep with Peter & Carol 2nd. Josh & Grace P were 2nd in their Foxtrot with Paul & Karen 3rd. In the over 40yrs Silver/Gold Foxtrot, Dennis & Sue were the only entrants but they gave a lovely controlled, well timed demonstration of the foxtrot as the sole couple on the floor. In the Latin couples there were wins for Craig & Karly in their Jive, with Emily & Charlotte Be in 2nd position. Peter & Carol won their Jive, with Chris & Serena in runners-up spot. Josh & Grace P were 2nd again with Paul & Karen 3rd. Neil & Carla won their Rumba with Dennis & Sue following closely behind.

Overall, to conclude it was a successful day from both the dance performances and results achieved. Thanks, to Liam and Ruth for their dedication to come along and partner, we couldn’t do it without you. Also, to Josh and Grace P, who are also now stepping up more to the challenge of partnering.

Some dancers are out again next Sunday at a couples sequence event. Others have two weeks to prepare for a highlight on the dancing calendar – our event at Westpark. Dancers, parents, wider family and supporters will be turning out in force, make sure you are ready.

p.s. Boris has been comforting the bear which was abandoned yesterday and whilst he is coping well, he’s promised him that he will be returning home tomorrow.

A few months ago it was announced that a couples competition was being organised at the Blackpool Tower ballroom.  This was the first time dancers would have the opportunity to compete here since the last event moved away in 2010, so we were obviously excited at the prospect.

It turns out we weren’t the only ones. In January all seats were sold and an extra 300 shipped in and by the day standing only tickets were being sold, we would be in for a marathon.

The children’s events commenced at 8am, when we entered the ballroom at 2pm, they had already been dancing for six hours. The place was packed, everyone excited and the atmosphere amazing. The adult dancers had been advised that due to huge entries they wouldn’t start until 8pm. The first sequence event was at 9.19pm with the prize presentation taking place, as per timetable, at 12.20am.

During that time Stuart and Andrea secured second place in both the Senior Modern Sequence  Senior Classical Sequence Grand Prix events. These were hard fought competitions and to secure two second places was a brilliant achievement.

In the social modern sequence there were three rounds. Chris and Allison achieved a well deserved recall to the semi final.  Neil and Carla came fourth and Andrew and Dawn sixth.

In the over 35yrs Classical Sequence, Neil and Carla came second and Andrew and Dawn third.

Everyone danced above their normal level, inspired by the amazing setting and history of the occasion.  It was a true first that everyone will remember being there for.

I’m sure there were lots of very tired people on Monday (and probably Tuesday as well!) but come next year we’ll all be there again not wanting to miss the privilege of dancing at such aworld renowned ballroom.

Yesterday was our medal presentation dance for the NATD (National Association of Teacher’s of Dancing) examinations which were taken in December last year. There were over 150 examinations taken in Ballroom, Latin American, Sequence and Line Dancing. All dancers achieved more than the basic pass, with a few commended and the majority achieving highly commended.

It is so pleasing when the majority of these dancers along with supporting parents, grandparents, friends and wider family come along and join together in our social dance and awards presentation ceremony.

All too often we are busy at events and competitions, whereas yesterday allowed time to have a chat and catch up with fellow dancers in a relaxed environment.

Although, there was plenty to occupy everyone, with lots of general dancing, dance displays, a charity raffle and of course the awards ceremony. Not forgetting or course time for tea and homemade cakes.

All the medallists took part in a display. They showcased their current work in waltz, quickstep, tango, cha cha cha, jive and rumba. With the more experienced dancers partnering those less experienced. It was then the turn of these more experienced dancers to provide their own cabaret. This year the theme was Mary Poppins and they danced a fusion of waltz, foxtrot, tango, quickstep and viennese waltz. It was a very tricky routine which they all pulled off brilliantly.

This year the raffle was in aid of Cancer Research. Thank you to those who bought tickets and donated prizes. In total you raised £105 – thank you very much.

The school award, this year, was awarded to someone who has been with us for about five years. They take all NATD and ISTD examinations and compete both at the medallist competitions and on the open sequence circuit. Aside from being a keen, enthusiastic and helpful member of the school she achieved success in all her exams and competitions over the last year. Therefore the school award for 2017 was awarded to Grace Phipps – many congratulations.

Thanks must go to the FRoGS (Friends of George Spencer) for providing lovely homemade cakes and refreshments, to Chris for enabling us to use George Spencer and to everyone who attended for making the afternoon a most enjoyable success.

Next for the medallist competitors, we have the second qualifying competition of the year at Castleford. For the sequence competitors, they have a very busy few weeks with competitions at Walsall Town Hall, The Tower Ballroom Blackpool and Dudley College. Then before we know it, it will be our own competition at Long Eaton in March. We hope to see you at one (or all) of these events.

 

For once the weather was kind to to us as we made our way to the first ISTD qualifier of the year at Kettering. This is always a busy event being the first of the year and being fairly central it attracts some of the southern schools who we don’t normally meet other than at Blackpool. Final places are therefore tough to come by, often a number of rounds have to be fought through to get to a final, particularly in the Juvenile and Junior events.

Our under 16 years contingent was smaller this year as both Molly and Olivia have turned 16 and so now join the adult ranks. Nevertheless our younger team members put in some sterling performances with Kaitlyn qualifying in both her ballroom and Latin events, Jack qualifying in both ballroom and Latin (having moved up a grade this year) and also in sequence, Grace making the final of both her ballroom and sequence (having to dance through three rounds of both) and finishing 2nd in the latter event. Chloe and Isobel also made the sequence final so we had all three of our dancers in that final. Paige (also moving up a grade) came 3rd in her ballroom event which was an excellent achievement. So all in all the day got off to a very good start with everyone making at least one final.

The adult events followed and whilst there wasn’t quite the same volume as with the children’s events there were still many quality dancers. In the sequence events: Josh, Grace, Molly and Olivia all made the final from one of the largest entries in the adult field, Chris and Serena came 3rd and 1st respectively in their event and Andy, Allison, Dennis, Dawn and Sue all made the final of their event.

In the ballroom events there were final places for Charlotte Brightwell, Olivia, Craig, Grace, Molly, Chris, Libbie, Serena, Josh, Allison, Dawn, Andy and Geraldine together with wins for Charlotte Bennett, Hazel and Sue. Reaching the Latin finals were: Charlotte Bennett, Charlotte Brightwell, Craig, Grace, Chris, Hazel, Serena, Josh, Allison and Geraldine, with Sue treating everyone to a solo demonstration of her Cha Cha Cha to win that event!

Naturally there is much work still to be done and the next opportunity will soon be upon us at Castleford in February. Boris enjoyed meeting up with his chums once more and exchanging stories from the festive season and of course a huge thank you once again to our partners, Luke, Alex and Liam without whom it would be difficult to achieve as much as we do.

Next up is the NATD presentation dance in two weeks so make sure you have your tickets.

The year has barely begun and we were once again off to Blackpool, this time for the Champions of Tomorrow Sequence events in the Empress Ballroom of the Winter Gardens. Sadly the scaffold is still a prominent feature but this did not diminish the event in any way. In action this time were Josh & Grace, Stuart & Andrea, Neil & Carla and Andy & Dawn. Dennis & Sue were also due to take part but sadly had to withdraw due to illness but still came along to give everyone else their support.

This was the first outing for most of the dancers so time to blow away the January blues and shake off the excesses of the festive season. Following even a short time away you can quickly get out of shape and loose that competitive edge without realising it. Nevertheless all of the couples gave an excellent account of themselves with all of them making all of their finals.

Josh & Grace consolidated their position in the Amateur field securing a 3rd and two 6th placings in their events, building on their success at the British Championships in October. Whilst Stuart and Andrea were runners up in both their events once again consolidating their position in this field.

Neil & Carla won the over 35 years event and Andy and Dawn were runners up in the same event. In the open events Neil & Carla also had a 2nd, two 3rds and one 4th place whilst Andy and Dawn won the open Latin event and finished 3rd, 4th and 6th in their other events.

Therefore, a good opening to the new term and it’s now full steam ahead to the next event, which will be the ISTD qualifier at Kettering on Sunday. This always proves to be a tough event with it being the first qualifier of the year and everyone keen to secure their place at Grand Finals. Watch out for the report soon.

Dear Dancing Family,

As we prepare for the Christmas festivities and before I leave to spend time with my family and friends in Bearmuda, I would just like to take this opportunity to say what a pleasure it has been to support you all year in your endeavours along with the other mascot bears. I can see how hard you all work and the commitment you give and are proud to be able to witness your achievements whatever they may be.

I wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and happy and successful New year. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2018.

Best wishes,

Boris

This year saw the the 5th series of Strictly George Spencer and in recognition of this we invited back six members of staff: Mary, George, Harry, Hymke, Steve and Debbie, along with eight students; Keshini, Ethan, Emily, Archie, Emma, Alex, Fenton and Sophie, who had all taken part in a previous series. As usual they were paired with our dancers; Luke, Liam, Alex, Josh, Grace, Emily, Molly, Olivia, Karen, Paul, Andy, Allison, Stuart and Craig.

Since they had all danced previously, the contestants had different rhythms to the ones they had had previously and more challenging choreography. This year we had chosen the Tango, Cha Cha Cha and Samba alongside the Slow Foxtrot, a notoriously difficult dance, and one which we had not used previously.

The show opened in dramatic style with Chris swirling his cape before tossing it to one side only to be resurrected in the form of Louise to perform a combination of Viennese Waltz and Paso Doble to “The Black Pearl”. An unusual combination which seemed to capture the audience’s imagination and set the scene for things to come

Our contestants were then introduced and following the usual ten weeks of training they performed their two routines and group dance in front of a capacity crowd of over 200 people and all did brilliantly. Our Judges; Claire, Andrew and Michelle then gave comments and it was obvious that they were impressed by the standard each of the competitors had reached in such a short space of time.

Whilst any of the couples were worthy finalists the ones selected for the final by the judges were: Harry and Grace, Hymke and Liam, Keshini and Craig, Ethan and Karen and Emma and Luke.

In a slight change this year the audience were then able to select a further two couples who they thought should also be in the final. This was to be done following the group dance and so the dancers took to the floor to perform a complex jive routine in which they did a great job. The two “wild cards” chosen by the audience were then announced as Archie and Molly and Fenton and Olivia.

Following this there was a Rumba/Cha Cha Cha routine performed by Craig assisted by Grace, Emily, Molly and Olivia which was very well received by the enthusiastic audience. As many of you will know, Craig was a competitor in the first series who then, having enjoyed it so much, joined the dance school and returned the following year as a partner. Since then he has gone on to achieve great success in competitions including winning his age and grade category at the ISTD Grand Finals in Blackpool. We therefore thought it fitting to include such a number in this celebration of the last five years.

The finalists all then performed their favourite dance once more and the judges scored each performance to guide the audience to who they thought should be crowned champion. All the couples improved on their first round performances and it was clear that it was going to be a difficult decision.

Prior to the announcement of the winners, Alex and Liam gave a lovely demonstration of a fusion of Waltzes during which a complete hush descended over the room and which received a standing ovation from the audience.

The moment had then arrived to announce the winners and they were announced as Ethan and Karen who had performed a lively and engaging Samba. They were popular and well deserved winners, congratulations to both of you.

Of course evenings like this don’t arrange themselves and we must extend our grateful thanks to the staff at George Spencer, especially John, for helping with the set up, lighting, filming and sound and a number of other tasks which help the event run smoothly. We also need to thank our dancers for giving up their time and taking time off work to assist in rehearsals and be available on the evening. Some of them have been present at each of the weekly sessions whilst others have had long journeys to make themselves available, we thank you all for your contribution it could not be done without you. Furthermore some of the ladies lent their dresses to the contestants so they would look the part, a very generous gesture. Also we would like to thank the parents of some our dancers for bringing them along to rehearsals each week again it is an invaluable contribution.

Finally a huge thank you once again to Chris for all the hard work he puts into the event to help make it the spectacle that it is, even though he is no longer at the school, and also for presenting the evening alongside Louise. The comments we have received from both those involved and the audience have all been extremely positive and confirm what a great show it is.

One of the enjoyable things about the show is seeing how not only the contestants have grown in confidence and ability but also how some of our dancers have developed along the way.

Finally, Boris remarked that it was a very enjoyable evening and definitely the best one yet.

Following the excitement of “Strictly” we had the annual Christmas party, the following evening at the Hilton hotel as last year. It gives everyone a chance to chill out and perhaps get to know people a bit better in a different setting. It is a great way to celebrate the end of another busy but enjoyable year as well as kick off the festive season.

Last Saturday and Sunday was dedicated to our annual examination session with the NATD (National Association of Teachers of Dancing). Our examiner this year was Miss Rickards. Whilst she is not able to speak about specific performances, upon leaving, she did comment that she’d had a most enjoyable two days and had witnessed some quality dancing.

It was pleasing for us to see that everyone was exceedingly well turned out and gave a full performance. This isn’t as easy as it sounds when the room is empty except for an audience of one (+ Boris, of course).

Well done to everyone for their hard work and dedication and thank you to Ruth for her assistance over the weekend. The presentation dance will be Sunday 28th January at George Spencer and tickets will be on sale soon.

This week is another action packed week as on Friday we have Strictly Reunited at George Spencer which promises to be another exciting evening followed on Saturday by the annual Christmas Party. Look out for future reports and photographs.