Blackpool Dance Festival
Several dance festivals are celebrated in different parts of the seven continents. However Blackpool Dance Festival is one of the very popular and historic dance festivals celebrated by people worldwide. It’s an eight days long event that holds immense international significance for ballroom and Latin dancers from over the globe.
This grand festival is held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England. The history of Blackpool Dance festival dates back to 1920’s Easter. Since then this festival took toll and attracted several amateur and professional dancers to display their talents in dancing. According to a 2003 report, 1539 couples took part in Blackpool Dance festival from 54 distinct countries. These aren’t just numbers; they reflect the magnitude of this dance festival in the world. Germany, Japan, Italy, USA, Australia, Russia and Scandinavia have been some of the most regular teams of dancers since the inception of this festival. Their position has been unwavering, so far.
Initially, the festival featured only ballroom dancing, which was a huge success. As the Latin dancing further evolved in the late 20th century, the festival became host to Latin dancers as well, enriching the Blackpool dancing festival. Gradually, over the years, several branches of this grand event have been formed to facilitate the event with grace. As more foreign competitors joined the festival, British decided to start an event for British only. British National Championship thus evolved in the November of 1957 and is still a popular dance celebration for the British after so many years of its inception.
As the dance forms evolved and the response from various age groups of the audience invariably increased, more events were organized. Blackpool Junior Dance Festival, Blackpool Freestyle Dance Championship, and Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival are the major ones that appeal to the international audience.
Blackpool Junior Dance Festival is for people belonging to the age groups of 6-12 under the head juveniles and 12-16 under the head juniors. The festival always starts on the morning of Easter and is held at the Blackpool tower ballroom. Kids from all over the world come together to compete and learn from each other about different forms of dancing. Latin American, Ballroom, and Sequence dancing are featured in a total of 29 competitions over a week.
The Freestyle Dance Championship is held at the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Garden and features a variety of dances. Dancers from all over the world come to one platform and perform Solos, Doubles, Hip-hop, Slow dance, and couples.
Recently, a website of the Blackpool dance festival has also been launched to keep a track of all the audience and keep the followers of the event updated about all the details and upcoming competitions and dance news. The information regarding participation, sponsorship, etcetera is also available online.
If dance has been your passion and aspiration, you must consider applying to this biggest international dance competition, so rich in history and experience. Australian team has been participating since years, perhaps now it’s time for you to represent Australia.