On Saturday 7th January 2017 my husband and I took part in our first ever dance competition. For us, this experience was only ever to say that we did it. We started dancing just over 18 months ago and then about a year ago we moved to an improvers class with new teachers and really started to become inspired. In November 2016 with my new found belief in myself, we put our names down for the over 35 beginners competitions (Waltz and Quickstep in the ballroom; Cha Cha and Jive in the Latin) and increased our training from a once a week class to include a weekly practice session and some private lessons. In fact, we practiced anywhere and everywhere we could find the space - including the aisles of our local Sainsbury's!
As I have said in a previous blog, our only aim was to get round without forgetting any steps, we knew the competition would be at a very high level, some couples having competed in several competitions over several years. While we had put in as much effort and practice as we could fit in, we had only been serious about entering two months prior to the competition.
The day itself started very early, driving up to Blackpool to meet up with our dance school and then have my hair done. I was excited and in awe of all the competitors who were used to this type of atmosphere. The changing room was large, full of tables, clothing rails, bags and people. I used the skills I have learned through the Thrive programme to remain calm, focusing on what we needed to do and not worrying about what anyone else was doing.
All of the people from our dance school were so supportive and encouraging, advising where we should stand before going on and how to walk on and off the floor. It was only a couple of minutes before stepping onto the floor for the first time that the nerves kicked in and I just kept thinking 'I can do this, it's going to be fine'. I achieved my aim of not forgetting any steps and although we didn't get a call back for the second round, I feel very proud of our achievement to have gone out and danced on a ballroom floor with around 15 other couples, 9 judges and an audience of hundreds. We have found out since that we were only three marks off making the second round.
Looking back at the notes I made while doing the Thrive programme, I set myself a goal to improve my ballroom hold and be more confident with the latin arms. I have been practising both in preparation for this competition and feel I have achieved these goals. Although our score in the Latin wasn't as good as the ballroom, my teacher commented that we danced the best she had ever seen from us and I looked like I was having the time of my life! I really can't ask for more than that.
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| Ready for the Latin |
All in all the experience of Blackpool has been amazing. We are not sure yet whether we would like to carry on and compete in more competitions. For now, we can reflect on how far we have come, enjoy going back to our weekly dance classes and see what happens in the future.
