Speaking Of Blackpool 2005...

Could you please share with us what the ProAm event that you ran at Blackpool this year was called?

The Blackpool Pro/Am Classic It was run in conjunction with the United Kingdom Alliance of Dance Teachers.

Since Blackpool Pro/Am Classic was the first event that you have ever organized for Blackpool, along with the first ProAm event to have ever taken place at Blackpool, what are your comments on the event itself?

Well, we had 23 couples so it would have been nicer to have more people there. However, the quality of the winners was extremely high and it was a really great chance for the ProAms to dance at night in Blackpool. The competition was actually part of the United Kingdom Alliance Annual Dinner. There were about 800 people in the Entrance Ballroom, so it was actually held there with 800 people dressed up in black-tie watching the Pro/Ams.

The nice thing for me was that if you have never been to Blackpool, when certain events come on, like the Senior, everybody usually gets up and goes to the bar, but nobody actually left for the Pro/Am event, so I think it was actually a nice experience for the dancers.

What inspired you to run events at Blackpool? What are some of the rewards and challenges involved with coordinating these events?

Trying to get dancers to enter on the Internet was challenging. Most people have a hard time filling out an entry form on the net and then checking their emails to find out what was going on. The other thing for me was that I really believe in Pro/Am dancing because it has really given me a living, it has offered a living to a lot of dancers who even if they don’t win Blackpool it has done a lot for them.
So, when I was at Blackpool last year, I was asked to do a lecture for the UKA and I didn’t realize that they held their Congress in the actual Entrance Ballroom. Now when I walked in there and saw the place I thought that since everybody in England has been talking

about that they are going to do Pro/Am, why don’t we just do it. So, I presented the idea and was told, “Fine let’s do it!” and I said, “Great, we’ll do it next year.” That’s what happened. Then everybody else tries to jump on it, but nobody else has managed to do that yet, so I am quite happy about that.

What did you enjoy most about Blackpool this year? Will the Blackpool ProAm Classic be taking place again next year?
Coming home. We also ran a trip for our students, so for three days I did a shuttle service from Manchester airport to Blackpool picking people up at 7am in the morning. You know, when you go to Blackpool, you don’t go to bed until 2 or 3am, and then having to wake up at 7am to go to the airport doesn’t give you much sleep. We also coordinated all of the dancing people, and the UKA were running the dinner themselves, so we had a few difficulties getting things settled out, people at the right tables, and such, so at the moment, I really don’t want to do it again. Now, that’s just how I feel now, but we’ll see what happens.

Which dancers stood out most on the dance floor this year? Were there any surprises?

Brian Watson was so professional compared with everyone else. I thought he was above everyone else this year. He’s been there for a long time and a lot of people think it’s time for somebody else to take over, but from when I watched the comp he was just a class of his own. He stood out as a dancer for me. I thought the Ballroom Standard competition was all around unbelievable because the Italians really rose to the occasion this year and nearly won, so that was interesting.


After having judged at the United States Ballroom Competition, what do you look for most in a dancer as they perform?

I like to know who’s the girl and who’s the guy. Sometimes couples get mixed up in the role they should be playing.

Do you have any advice for up and coming Amateur or Professional dancers and their partners?

No. You either have it or you don’t. If you have it, nobody needs to give you any advice on your performance.