Blackpool!

Posted on May 24, 2012

The 87th Blackpool Dance Festival starts today, the beginning of nine days of top flight competitive dancing. Launched in 1920, Blackpool is the most iconic of ballroom and Latin championships, a goal and a dream for dancers across the world.

Today’s events include the qualifying rounds of the British Amateur “Rising Stars” competitions in ballroom and Latin. Over the next nine days, there will be competitions for Professional and Amateur dancers, formation teams, Senior dancers and those under 21 and the very popular professional “Invitation Team Match” in ballroom and Latin. The festival comes to a grand conclusion on Friday, June 1 with the British Professional Ballroom Dancing Championship. Alongside the dancing, there will be socialising and shopping, with many exhibitors selling shoes, costumes and other products designed especially for dancers.

Throughout the festival, Dance Today will be posting clips of the dancing, courtesy of DSI London, which launched its new media division this week.

Schedule for Blackpool 2012

MAY

Thursday 24, Saturday 26, Sunday 27

British Amateur “Rising Stars Ballroom Competition

Thursday 24, Friday 25, Sunday 27

British Amateur “Rising Stars” Latin Competition

Friday 25

British Professional “Rising Stars” Latin Competition

British Senior (over 35s) Ballroom Championship

Saturday 26

British Amateur under 21 Years Latin Championship

Professional “Invitation” Team Match, Ballroom and Latin

Monday 28

British Professional “Rising Stars” Ballroom Competition

British Senior (over 35s) Latin Championship

Monday 28, Tuesday 29

British Amateur Latin Championship

Tuesday 29

British Amateur Under 21 Years Ballroom Championship

Wednesday 30

British Professional Latin Championship

British Ballroom Formation Dancing Championship

Wednesday 30, Thursday 31

British Amateur Ballroom Dancing Championship

Thursday 31

British Professional “Invitation” Exhibition Competition

JUNE

Friday 1

British Latin Formation Dancing Championship

British Professional Ballroom Dancing Championship

Picture: Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova, winners of the 2011 Professional Ballroom Championship. Photograph: Ron Self

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.