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 The British Open at the annual Blackpool Dance
Festival is considered by almost everyone as the "Unofficial World
Championships". Unlike the official world championships that only allow the top
2 couples from each country to attend, the British Open is open to anyone from
anywhere.
This year's Blackpool had about 297 couples in the Open
Amateur division, with the first qualifying round starting on Wednesday morning.
Based on the experiences of BC competitors who had danced at Blackpool in previous years,
as well as the fact that this was their first time at Blackpool, Joel & Clara's goal
was to make it out of the first round.
Exceeding their expectations, Joel & Clara were called
back all the way to the fourth round! They were able to dance in the Thursday
evening session, with Mr. Bill Irvine MBE as MC and chair, the Irvine Tiswell Orchestra
playing live music and the whole dance community watching in the stands. Although
they do not yet know their exact final placing, they finished within the top 97...an
excellent result for their first time at Blackpool! Congratulations Joel and Clara!
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Here is a picture of a typical morning practice session.
Every morning before the daytime competitions begin, the floor of the Winter Gardens is
open for practice. The Latin and Standard sessions are separated. For each
session, the DJ splits up the competitors usually into 3 or 4 heats. It's a big
floor, but there are still a lot of people on the dance floor. It's not uncommon to
bump into around 20 couples per song and see at least one couple trip and fall in each and
every round. It's just part of the Blackpool experience! |
| Another part of the Blackpool experience is visiting the Showroom
of the Winter Gardens. All of the big name dance companies are in full force, trying
to sell their latest and finest products. Vendors are selling everything for
dancers, from shoes, dresses and fabrics to CDs, teaching videos, and books. It was
a dancer's paradise! One of the Italian dressmakers, Sapiel, even held a fashion
show with a catwalk! To the right is a picture of the Chrisanne dress display at the
Winter Gardens. If you look carefully, you can see Clara's dress on display to be
sold. |
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To the left is a beautiful sunset at the beach, a view that
was probably missed by most of the dancers attending the festival. During the
festival, events run straight from the early afternoon to the wee hours of the morning.
Joel & Clara took this pic on the Thursday before the festival began.
Needless to say, they never saw the sunset again during their time at Blackpool. |
See Joel & Clara's Blackpool dancing pictures in their
dancing
section!
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