Follow Me Around The Blackpool Dance Festival 2025 - Part One By Jack Reavely

At last the famed dance festival is upon dancers worldwide and those who are unable to attend can soak up the atmosphere and thrill of the inspirational dance expertise which is always apparent within the marvellous Empress ballroom. Everyone who attends remembers the feel of their very first visit as their eyes sparkle with the view from the entrance stairs, it is simply mind-boggling.

John Barry‘s beautiful music from Somewhere in Time hits my ears as the Rising Stars Ballroom qualifying heats take to the floor. This music by John, nurtured by Ashley Frohlick and the Orchestra, is so beautifully inspirational and it transmits a feeling which expands the nuances of the magnificent composition. We can see the pectoral factorisation of potential musical magnificent notes which so fill the air in the Empress ballroom, as to surely insight the best dance performance of anyone’s life once the pre-event worry is reduced and as soon as you take the first steps of a natural turn in Waltz.

John Barry has inspired so many and his musical compositions will live forever to be danced by those who cannot only thrill to the cascading notes but who can expand the theme so as to bring lumps into the throats of both spectators and dancers. Maestro John’s music demands, and hopefully will receive during the festival, dance exponents who can add to the mathematical timing and by using phrasing coupled to strong bars and soft bars to enhance John’s musical intellect. How sad he is no longer alive to add to our lives even more.

As I watch foxtrot on the streaming service supplied by Dance TV, I realise how lucky we are to be able to immerse ourselves into the festival, even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away. Foxtrot and the couples are on the floor to rise to the challenge of the dance of such high skill factors, which must be blended together so as to transmit the characterisation of this dance. I find it disconcerting to see so many fabulous looking couples who ignore the musicality available within the bars of music and transmit power, power and more power. Josephine Bradley the famed exponent and teacher who invented so much of what makes a foxtrot such a challenge, always said she loved to see a foxtrot which was using curvature coupled to a Rolls-Royce action, to create the smoothness and lack of ostentation. Only great exponents can achieve this, but you can too by practising the basics within the structure of this lovely dance.

I would love to see the standing phase used to create the forward slows by oozing the body weight and exploiting gravitational lowerings to then achieve the magnificence of motion as opposed to mere progression which is apparent as I watch.

The simply marvellous foxtrot exponent who is no longer with us, would have loved to see the classical components of a true foxtrot which he achieved brilliantly. He was able, for example with the fabulous Loraine Barry, to exploit basic structures to see an almost floating impeccability with each step length being placed, after months and years of searching for and finding the holy Grail of the dance, so easy to spot and it is thrilling to watch and analyse. His name of course is Andrew Sinkinson.

I close my eyes and I see once more the ultra famous Henry Jaques sitting in the front with Frank Ford and at that time there was an attempted revolution going on within the Foxtrot, which was not entirely to the two great men’s pleasure. Frank turned to Henry and said well, Henry but the fish suppers are being inserted into the foxtrot, which makes it easier to dance but destroys the fundamentals… Gosh a golly there’s no real difference in opinions today, but shining through is the way in which the athleticism and power factors have indeed changed the dance. I remember so well a conversation I had with the ultra famed Benny Tolmeyer and he said that of course he loved to see basic dance but also when judging an event such as Blackpool‘s professional championship, the tariff of the complexity within the choreographic structure must include diversification from only pure basic motion…as for example it would be a necessity to win a high dive medal at the Olympics where tariffs are high as well as the use of basic picturisation.

Quickstep, I see terrific progression which is non-stop and there is a change in the atmosphere within the ballroom as sheer determination to move further than anyone else and fly around the floor has replaced this Dance which was in the past so magnificently rhythmical. Suddenly a picture of Richard and Janet Gleave has intruded within my mind and I see them within the same ballroom dancing a quickstep which, coupled together simply stunning basic such as running cross chasse, and then it exploded like a bomb from the third corner of the room after the purity of only basics. He and she strangled my intellect, as they did so all those years ago. It seems like yesterday when I saw them in the environment of the Empress ballroom Winter Gardens Blackpool.

Wowwee I just saw a couple dance a forward lock step timed slow, quick, quick, slow and it refreshed me instantly. Of course this basic action if coupled to others would not be marked to win perhaps, but it would give the judges who are steeped in dance, the opportunity of separating the actions which are not acceptable to those which are. There is a proliferation of scatter chasse to see today, coupled to hops which for example the magnificent and so elegant Peter Eggleton showed so well with Brenda Winslade. It is so sad that they are no longer with us, sitting in the front row and smiling benignly as couples they approve dance by.

The pursuit of dance knowledge is essential to success and knowledge of how to create the mechanics is clearly seen, even if not in the abundance craved by connoisseurs of the art of dance. An emphasis in the use of strong bars of music and soft bars, is an accomplishment of high merit not only in quickstep but elsewhere too. I feel sure I will see and hear those assets as the week progresses and the quality of the later rounds pairings comes to the forefront of the event in which they compete. Some couples seem to use natural sway on scatters which means the sway is in the direction of the movement instead of being used as a balancing action to control the centrifugal forces. This type of use if contemplated well can enhance, especially if being wisely considered with a knowledge of how to reduce power and insert diversification and nuance of excellence. Isn’t it all so very thrilling…? It sure is!

Tango music smacks its way into the atmosphere now within the ballroom and I remember so well reading of the controversy and impact a young couple from Germany whose names were Freddy Camp and Alida Pasquale and Josephine Bradley and her partner and husband Wellesley Smith who were in Germany demonstrating and judging. Freddy and Alida were using head turns which flashed from left to right and right to left as they danced their tango and the crowd were yelling for more. This pair eventually danced at Blackpool, in the same ballroom, and electrified the spectators. Wellesley Smith had said to Josephine that British ladies would never succumb to those head changes, but Josephine, when she returned to the UK, instantly analysed and inserted much of what she saw in Germany to her many pupils and Henry Jaques after seeing them at Blackpool analysed the entire dance and it changed more than just considerably… So change is always on the horizon and you cannot stop progress some of which is bad and some good.

Henry had wisely constructed the basics of tango, without the sheer blatancy shown in Germany, but still it induced positivity which had not been shown before. Thunderous applause was the reward received by Freddy and his lovely lady of Dance, when they danced at Blackpool… Can it happen again? Will this week produce thunderous applause? Of course it will… It’s inevitable at Blackpool. The streets are full of ladies in full dress walking around the winter gardens entrances, makeup showing as if suntan and hairstyles of such diversification as to delight the connoisseurs of that aspect. Ballroom dancing as a couple refreshes your intellect as well as assisting your health and when couples sometimes produce within their dancing, a searing thrill flood your mind as it all cascade into the eyes of those who watch. It was as if Nicole Scherzinger and David Foster had torn pieces from their hearts as they sing the famed song "love me tender" as a Duet. This young lady used to her voice almost to dance a rumba and her changes of tone, body and voice produced was also reminiscent of a beautiful foxtrot. Her voice when producing this song was the equivalent of walking to the Empress ballroom floor and as she dances inspirational beautiful talent would have the audience at Blackpool wishing to hear her voice dancing, which would have insured her success. Could I, will I, have the privilege of seeing some couples aspiring to dance musically and create the same impact as Nicole does when she sings? This time and dance, jeepers creepers, the Blackpool dance festival creates the ambience coupled to the environmental perfection which freeze the minds of dancers into a love of dance within the Empress with a chandelier shining and the eyes of spectators and competitors allowing their eyes to create the atmosphere too.

You raise me up, as a song, reverberates throughout my mind as I type as I am so privileged to be asked to jot down words which cascade within. I thank everyone who has ever danced at Blackpool even though I was unable to attend. The sheer thrill of the streaming visions were sufficient to reincarnate so many years of my attendance. It is as if nothing has changed in the last 75 years and that ladies and gentlemen is the ultimate because it refreshes memories of long gone years and stifles the regrets of non-physical attendance, even if it isn’t quite the same.

Streaming has been accepted worldwide as progressive thinking has enabled this aspect, which can simply be wondrous. Just think that everyone who dances so far during this year‘s events, will be able to see themselves dance around that magnificent Empress ballroom floor in Blackpool. Gosh how I wish that I could go back in time and see Anne and I dance even if for only a short time. Not only can the dancers see themselves but so too can their relatives even if not present physically, the technology allows constant viewing so we must thank the originators profusely with their deep understanding of the wishes of every couple to be seen on that Blackpool floor during the competitions they compete within.

Natalie Hayes will sigh with relief as with her expertise coupled to her marvellous team who all share the workload and they have succeeded in preserving the quality of the festival. It appears to run a smooth as a Concorde but behind the apparent easiness there is a story which induces consternation, worry and the solving of many problems which are inevitable when organising this festival of dance. It is hoped that Mr Michael Williams will be fully recovered and able soon to take up once more his task as managing director of the Winter Gardens. He will be missed this entire festival as he did his daily walkabout taking in every square foot of the environment within the Winter Gardens and ensuring any problems which crop up and dealt with. He transmits as if he has a twin brother who shares his walkabout at different times…

Some of the dresses worn in the Latin professional rising stars were ravishing and it was indeed most interesting also to see the headwear which was integrated into the final look of those ladies who so cherished their final choices of what to wear at Blackpool. I have to say that there must be a multitude of expert hairdressers who show their artistic skills and are able to produce such wondrous hairstyles as to mesmerise.

The Latin ladies were spiffingly aware of their femininity and they filled the air of the Empress ballroom with glamour and Hollywood style. One young man when one of the dances was complete, gave his Lady of Latin a cuddle and it was a tribute which she loved, as it was a tribute from her man of dance that he had so enjoyed the Rumba with her.

Images: Tomasz Reindl