January may be an anti-climax for most people after the Christmas holidays, however, for ballroom dancers everywhere, it brings the excitement of one of the most highly anticipated dance competitions of the year, Champions of Tomorrow, held in the iconic Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
Known to dancers affectionately as Champs, it sees a wide range of competitions spanning three days, highly inclusive with something for everyone, there are teacher-student, Pro-Am, and solo events running alongside open competitions over the whole weekend.
The atmosphere in the Winter Gardens always feels special, and walking into the Empress Ballroom where many great dancers have earned their titles evokes a feeling that is unparalleled anywhere else. You are welcomed by great music, beautiful architecture, shimmering chandeliers, and a vast springy dance floor that you can’t wait to dance on. Dancers look their best, with fake tan and tail suits, beautiful gowns, and crystals aplenty. Every available space is filled with people practicing their steps before they get called onto the floor.
Supportive as always, The Regency Dance Centre can be found on the front row cheering their students and giving last-minute advice, or on the floor dancing in the Teacher Student categories. There is a friendly camaraderie between everyone, and the whole weekend becomes more than a dance competition it becomes a social event with like-minded people who love to dance.
This year students from the Regency can boast some impressive results, including recalls into the semi–finals in solo events and places in the finals in both novice and pre-champ couples. Everyone danced beautifully, and it was nice to see that their hard work and dedication were rewarded at this big competition.
Dancing can give you opportunities that you may never have had the chance to experience before, so if you are reading this and feel like you want to experience ballroom at Blackpool for yourself, please speak to your teacher.
Finally, The Regency would like to say a big thank you to all our lovely students and supporters, without them, the excitement of Blackpool wouldn’t have happened, and a big congratulations to our dancers who did us, and themselves proud.