Question: What do you get if you mix one big dance family, two pop-up beauty salons, 29 bed and breakfast rooms, 65 entrance tickets, too many cans of hairspray to count, endless excitement, forever friendships and infinite memories?

 

Answer: The Regency Dance Centre's incredible weekend at the 2017 Champions of Tomorrow Ballroom and a Latin American Dance Competition, in the world famous Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. 

 A Sutton dance school has fulfilled its dancer's dreams, by hitting the dance floor of the most prestige ballroom in the world. 

The morning of 5th January saw the best way to begin a new year for any dance lover, as cars were packed to the brim with suits, dresses and enough false tan to convince outsiders the dancers had been for a week in St Tropez, not getting it from a bottle during a cold weekend Blackpool!

With the competition not starting until the Friday, the Regency enjoyed a sociable Thursday together, away from their home ground, on a rare occasion of swapping dance heels for flat shoes and slipper socks. 

Of course, they were there for a reason - to show the dance world exactly what this upcoming school from Sutton-in-Ashfield was really made of.

The Regency took a record number of students to Champions of Tomorrow this year, from all ages and categories, with most making their Blackpool debuts. 

Friday 6th January saw the a school's youngest and oldest dancers alike hit the dance floor for the Teacher Student competition, through many nail biting rounds. Semi-finals were made, filling the school with pride and encouraging Saturday's partnerships to also achieve their best.

Following many more early alarms the next morning, even more glitter was applied and voices were restored for lots more support. The Regency's dance couples were ready to show everyone all of the hard work and dedication that had gone into their dance careers. And it showed, with couples receiving recalls in to further rounds, making a name for themselves as they became champions in their own right.

The sense of pride for one another, from the dancers themselves, teachers, parents and friends, was truly evident.

Nicola Wakeland, 25, says the feeling of being part of a dance family is truly magical: ''Despite competing as dance couples and being in the same category as our friends, we went onto the floor as a Regency team.

'The support my school showed for one another is truly something special." 

It's now official - these dancers have got the competition bug! Only the day after arriving back home, they were back in their own ballroom, striving for even more. 

The Regency dancers will now be competing at many more National League and social competitions throughout the year.

If you would like to join them on the competition floor, on their own floor for a social dance or maybe even in a private lesson to find your feet, The Regency Dance Centre has a class for you, whatever your age, level or experience.

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