It would be incorrect to state the day of the UK Masters & Xmas Social in Blackpool Tower Ballroom started early on Saturday 11th December, as for the Masters Team the day started months before in preparation. The actual day brought about feelings of relief at being able to see the finishing line, yet at the same time those of regret that it’ll be over for another year (anyone who has run an event before should be able to relate to this strange sensation).
It all officially kicked-off at 05:30, when the dedicated Masters Team arose from their beds, prepared themselves and made their way to the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom for 07:00. The Ballroom itself is so spectacular that decorating too much would be an injustice. The Team basically had to set-up trophies, the DJ & Scoring desks, Registration and work with the Tower Representatives on the lighting. Everything was ready to go for doors opening at 09:30.
Dancers from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and even the Netherlands began fluttering in to witness the only Line Dance event each year to be held in this most beautiful setting. By 10:30 there were 268 people in the Ballroom ready for the 2nd UK Masters Competition to begin. Competition started with a very special Pro-Am session, danced entirely to Christmas Songs (a musical challenge only Nicola Lafferty could manage), by more than 30 competitors and an array of very capable Pro’s. After the Christmas cheer was officially brought to the Ballroom through this wonderful selection of music, it was time to run our first Solo Heats of the day.
All dancers at the 2nd UK Masters were judged by a panel of international qualified dancers; Nicola Lafferty (Competition Director of World Dance Masters), Ronnie DeBenedetta (UCWDC Masters Champion), Jodie Seedel (Star of Strictly Dance Fever), Emily Drinkall (UCWDC Superstar), Fabienne Henshall (UCWDC Superstar) & Lee Easton (UCWDC Superstar). Our MC for the day was the wonderful Rachael McEnaney and the DJ was Big Dave Baycroft.
Once our judges had seen our Pro-Am and Heats danced, it was time for a very special surprise. A super-special guest had travelled from the North Pole just to see our extremely talented dancers and present them all with little gift. The atmosphere grew to a peak just in time for the 2nd UK Masters Finals, providing an electric environment for dancers young and old to experience.
The competition was, once again, an amazing standard. Sometimes we sit in our little chairs at home and think about the day that passed, comparing it to five years ago. The development in ability of all the dancers at Masters events has been incredibly tremendous! The scoring proved how close these divisions are, with quite a few ties throughout the competition. We even had a splendid new Cabaret Team who treated the audience to a performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Umpa Lumpa’s stole the show…
The competition finished by 19:15 and our new UK Champions had reaped their rewards (all results are now available in the Results section), but the day was far from over. In thirty minutes the event would transform from a Competition to a Christmas Party with Rachael McEnaney and Dave Baycroft. The array of dancing was something to behold, we had everyone from Beginners to Advanced in the Ballroom, all being catered for terrifically by DJ Dave. Rachael taught two dances over the evening, Since You Brought It Up and Dynamo, both of which went down exceptionally well with all levels of dancer.
The atmosphere on this festive evening summed up exactly what we wanted to achieve; all types and levels of dancer enjoying what they love the most in undoubtedly the most spectacular ballroom in the country. As 00:30 approached DJ Dave pressed on with the music, pushing our Get-Out limits to maximise as much time as possible in the Tower Ballroom. Eventually, as 00:45 hit, we closed down for the evening and said goodbye to Blackpool for one more year.
Fret not. We have already confirmed with the Tower Management Team for next years event. We’ll be back, bigger and better than ever, on the 10th December 2011. We are also issuing a Pre-Payment System, helping dancers and guests pay for their tickets before December (and Christmas!) approaches. With our Pre-Payment system you can select your tickets and pay them off over several months, paying it off in full by October and therefore meaning the only costs before the event are travel and accommodation (if needed). Click here for more details!
The next event for us is the Welsh Masters in January 2011. The first event of the New Year in Barry, with Competition during the day followed by an evening of social dancing and requests. We look forward to seeing some of you there!!
Merry Christmas to all our guests, competitors and parents. We wish you all the very best for 2011 and look forward to seeing you at any of our events.
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