The Blackpool Dance Festival is well under way, the sequins are out and the kiss-me-quick hats have been replaced with rhinestone and feathers. With three days left of chassés, whisks and heel leads there is still plenty to see and do.
The performances have been spectacular and the merchandise even better! From stunning gowns to sparkling heels some of
Dancewear Central’s favourites have graced the Empress Ballroom. The initial results are already in, and this year’s Senior Ballroom champions are Csonger Balagh and Anita Szabo of Hungary. Ruslan Aydaev and Valeriya Kozharinova from Russia became the Professional Rising Star Latin champions, while England’s AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt won the under-21s Latin competition. The Amateur Rising Star Ballroom championship was won by Igor Raznik and Mariya Polischuk from Ukraine and the Senior Latin championship went to Andreas Hoffman and Isabel Krüger of Germany. Finally the Professional Rising Star Ballroom competition was won by Marek Kosaty and Paulina Glazik from Poland. With the Professional Latin and Ballroom Championships to take place over the next few days spectators at the Winter Gardens are in for a treat.
First held in 1920 the Blackpool Dance Festival has evolved into one of the World’s most prestigious dance events and now attracts over 20,000 competitors and spectators from sixty countries across the world. Over the last few years however, it has seen an influx of Chinese competitors. A product of the Ballroom boom that came about as part of the government’s healthy lifestyle initiatives, these dancers have increasingly made the pilgrimage to the mecca of Ballroom. The Blackpool Dance Festival is now launching its first overseas event to take place in Shanghai next August.
With over 50 million people registered as ballroom dancers with official Chinese organisations, there is still a wealth of talent waiting to be introduced to Blackpool. As Michael Williams, managing director of the Winter Gardens, stated ‘to take elements of our festival to China can only increase the number of dancers that will want to come and experience the magic of dancing in the magnificent Empress Ballroom’. The Festival will initially run for three to five days at the Grand Stage in Shanghai and will include a full range of Ballroom and Latin competitions. The organisers hope however, to extend the competition and make it an annual event.
Next year’s festival will be held on 26 May until the 3
rd June, while its sister competition will be launched in Shanghai on 19
th August 2016.
Image credited to Mark Clarkson Flickr Account