Inside Blackpool Dance Festival: Strictly-style finalists get inspired

Blackpool Gazette

Shots! TV went for a look inside the Blackpool Dance Festival - and took two aspiring twinkle-toes along for a bit of inspiration.  Claire and Linda, both novice dancers, have spent several weeks in intensive training to prepare for a Strictly-style showdown at the world-famous Winter Gardens. We arranged for the two competitors to spend an afternoon watching the Latin Dance Championships, and looking at some of the fabulous dress and accessory stalls for inspiration for the big day.  On Friday 14 June, the two ladies will compete in Dance Floor Heroes - a glittering night of dance and entertainment to raise money for mental health charity Tias Crown. Tickets are available at https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/events/dance-floor-heroes-live-2/

Transcript

00:00Shotz TV have been following the once-in-a-lifetime journey of two ordinary women

00:05who are getting ready to live out their Strictly Style dance floor transformation

00:11and where better to inspire them than at the Latin Dance World Championships.

00:20Shotz TV arranged for the two competitors to watch some world-class Latin dance

00:26and do a bit of window shopping at the Blackpool Dance Festival.

00:38Blackpool Dance Festival is renowned as the number one festival in the world.

00:42It's been running for 97 years and for ballroom dancers coming here they compare it to

00:50scoring a winning goal at Wembley or playing at Wimbledon.

00:53So it really is up there amongst the pinnacle of their career to get to perform here

00:57and this weekend as an example you know I was welcoming dancers from South Africa,

01:01from Canada and America whose ambition was to always come to Blackpool

01:06and dance on the Empress Ballroom floor and they fulfilled that ambition this weekend.

01:10I'll have that one please.

01:12My god, oh my god, oh my god, that is just stunning.

01:17I've never had a spray tan, never.

01:24Every time we come here I tell Darren it feels like home because we're here every time since

01:28we were kids, growing as a Blackpool grows.

01:31My mom has been coming for the last 50 years without missing a year.

01:34Yeah, so it's a part of our family, part of our life, yeah absolutely.

01:38It's the most beautiful dance venue in the world.

01:40There's like nothing that comes even close to it.

01:44It's the band, live band, all the people in the audience, the previous champions,

01:48all the champions that have been champions in that room,

01:51the ghosts of the champions in the room.

01:53Yeah, you can like almost sense there's something special.

01:55It's very special, yeah, there's just something special about it.

02:04I've danced here like maybe six, seven times as a dancer,

02:08competing myself in different categories from under 21 to amateur to professional, yes.

02:15It's mixed up feelings every time I came here,

02:18mixed up feelings every time I came here.

02:20It just feels very familiar and it's still changing a lot actually.

02:23Every year something new, but still you get that you heard the music,

02:27it's always the same kind of music, same style,

02:31and it still brings you back to like years ago when I was competing.

02:36Linda and Claire, along with 10 other novice dancers,

02:40fight it out with their pro partners to win in a Strictly style extravaganza,

02:46all in aid of the Tia's Crown mental health charity.

02:51The dazzling event is held at the Blackpool Winter Gardens

02:55on Friday the 14th of June and will include performances by Joanne Clifton,

03:02Kyle Passmore and of course the ultimate Strictly style battle of the ballroom.

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