Dance Volunteers & Dance Teachers Needed

Why don't YOU try the Two Left Feet Dance Challenge? Here's how it works:

FOR VOLUNTEERS
You will be given a free half hour dancing lesson with a local professional teacher.

A variety of dance styles are available in case the idea of Ballroom and Latin doesn’t appeal.

You will then perform the basic routine you have learnt – with your teacher – in a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ type final.

This will be a special dance evening where family, friends and members of the public will be invited to vote for their favourite participant.

The Benefits: In short: you get the chance to learn a new skill, have some fun and have a great night out while helping a good cause !

FOR DANCE TEACHERS

You give a free half hour dancing lesson on a one to one basis to your volunteer and devise a basic routine to suit their abilities and preferences.

You will then perform this routine with your volunteer in a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ type final at a high profile public dance evening.

Benefits for Dance Teachers:

• Showcase your teaching skills with a basic routine in a short time to potential new customers.
• Media exposure for your dance school
• Opportunity to support charities

If you still need inspiration - look at the two videos below and see how these guys have overcome major disadvantages to be able to learn to dance:

LIMBLESS EX-SERVICEMAN TAKES THE CHALLENGE

See BLESMA's Charlie Streather and Steve Gill take the "Two Left Feet" Dance Challenge. Sailing a competitive yacht across the Atlantic has nothing on this!

Partially Sighted John Takes Up The Challenge!

Boat Builder Shaun Takes Up The Challenge

Narrowboat designer Shaun Dickinson from Barrowford in East Lancashire is our first competitor in the Two Left Feet dance challenge competition.

He will undertake a mere 30 mins private dance tuition with a local dance school and then go on to perform his routine, with his teacher, in a charity competition.

If you'd like to get involved with this fun initiative, e-mail us on poshupnorth@googlemail.com.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE

We are inviting volunteers to take the Two Left Feet challenge and help raise money for various charities.

Full details will appear here shortly.

In the meantime, look back at our post from 12th January about the Blesma dance lesson which set all this off.

Sandersons Dance Night In Tower Ballroom

Lucy on stage in the Tower Ballroom with International Adjudicator Jackie Sanderson - our first dancing teacher!

Paul and Lucy with Former British Junior Champion Gemma Bynert.

The Tower Ballroom in full swing!

Video Highlights From IVDA 2009, Blackpool

Inter Varsity Dance Championship 2009 - Blackpool

A dazzling display of Ballroom and Latin American Dancing awaited any fans of Strictly Come Dancing who strayed into the Winter Gardens in Blackpool yesterday. The 47th Inter Varsity Dance Competition, organized by the Inter Varsity Dance Association, gave spectators a feast of entertainment for the princely sum of £5 from 9.30am until nearly midnight in both the Empress Ballroom and the Pavilion.
Teams of students, all members of their university Ballroom Dancing Associations, travelled from 30 British Universities from Exeter to Edinburgh, Southampton to Manchester and Kent to Hull to compete for a variety of awards from novices to advanced. There was even a category for past students.
British Professional Classic Showdance Champions Craig Shaw, from Southport, and Natasha Manderson gave a dazzling cabaret dance performance in the interval and the remainder of the time was devoted to the team competition dances. As the organizers commented on the night: “the future of Ballroom Dancing in the UK is in safe hands”.
If you are interested keep an eye on the IVDC website for next year’s date, as this is another of the Fylde Coast’s Best Kept Secrets! See you there next year?

Professional Dance Champion Craig Shaw takes a breath

during his dance demonstration

A packed Empress Ballroom at the start of the Ballroom Competition

Parade of Inter Varsity cup winners

News and pictures from this year' s exciting event at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

Dance News From Bournemouth Trip!

We went down to Bournemouth in the middle of January for the British Open to the World Championships and met up with reigning British Senior Latin Champions Elaine and Martyn Long.
They won the title for the fifth time at Blackpool in November and have now retired from competing. They are now concentrating on teaching and have agreed to do some Latin workshops for us when they come up to Blackpool at the end of May. Watch this space for more details!

Launching The TWO LEFT FEET Dance Challenge

Many people claim that they cannot learn to dance as they have "two left feet". Charley Streather lost his left leg while serving in the armed forces and Steve Gill lost both his legs and one eye. They both now work for BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Servicemens Association) helping to rehabilitate injured servicemen who have suffered terrible injuries.

Undeterred by their disabilities, Charley and Steve jumped at the chance to help launch our Dance Challenge in which we are challenge candidates to learn to dance.

After all, if Charley and Steve can do it, surely having "two left feet" must be viewed as an advantage...?

Take a look at this and see if it inspires YOU to take up the TWO LEFT FEET Dance Challenge.

If you'd like more information about our dance competition idea - or would like help to set up your own dance initiative - please get in touch via the e-mail link and we'll reply as soon as we can.

Happy New Year!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody who's keen on dancing a happy new year. We are hoping to get some very special things going over the next 12 months and hope as many people as possible can join in.

Here's a great photo of Lucy taken when we met British professional pair Lisa Bellinger-Ivanets and Alex Ivanets recently.

Watch this space!