Northern Champs 2016

Your correspondent Stephen North has been floating around competitions for too many years.  I competed once and had to stop because it made my eyes water. I am fascinated by the process, the atmosphere, the venues and the huge variations in definitions of what good dancing is.   This latter varies with time and place and to a certain extent to how competitive the event is.  I've been to comps in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Blackpool, Manchester, Birmingham and each time I'm struck how hard people try to catch that most elusive thing - the perfect dance.


Northern Champs this year - under the auspices of Ceroc Addiction, move dot the very splendid Town Hall in Hyde complete with its turn of the last century ceramics intact in the entrance and spacious acoustic and lovely fast floor.  The hall was built 1883-84 and one can imagine thousands of functions there.  Less easy to imagine today are the police cells and magistrates court in the building where murderers Brady and HIndley were held and first tried after their arrest in 1965.

The Hall is light and airy and has a wonderful fast floor.  I think it's narrower than the previous venue but much more characterful not least because generations of dancers must have traversed the floor.  The wings under the balcony gave for plenty of room for tables and chairs and there was a room set aside for changing and luggage.  All in all one couldn't have wanted for a better venue>  Shops outside kept us supplied all day and the small bar in the Town Hall had a busy time too.

The atmosphere at Northern is unique.  It's friendly, relaxed and there is lots of laughter.  The competitors have a great deal of camaraderie.  The usual numbers from Essex, Scotland and Wales didn't turn up - though they were represented - and so it was left to Ceroc London and an assortment from across the country to challenge Northern dancers from Ceroc Addiction and Ceroc Yorkshire areas.  But much of it was very good natured.  The ubiquitous group huddles after the finals really do emphasise how well these dancers get along.  Or maybe how difficult they find it to be truly competitive.  Some seem to dance to attract the judges marks, others go out their to challenge themselves personally but few I know just want to beat their competitors on the floor.  The result can be a bit lacking n fervour or passion.  But there was some beautiful dancing too - but the judges didn't seem to reward as much of that as I would have liked.

The music at Northern champs has it's own challenge too.  Chris Uren's experience as a dance DJ, his knowledge of music and his unwillingness to give dancers an easy time means that Northern Champs has a wider array of genres played than any other dance competition I've been to and Chris finds the hardest tracks to test the dancers.  And as I have said before, it finds the flat track bullies out.  It is glorious to see when it works and Chris' expectation is confounded - it brings out the best in dancers who probably don't get that variety at home.

Any attempt to guide dancers when they are competing is usually unless but for the record - too many dancers crowded towards the stage even though the judges were all around them, and most dancers (if my photos are anything to go by) don't smile when they are dancing.  And indeed some hardly look at their partners. 





Much of the day was spent listening to the wonderful compares Gary Stubbs and for the third year, Jamie Stormer.  They were superb, forgiving to the competitors, funny, brisk and constantly keeping energy levels up in both audience and amongst competitors.  I loved it! But let's not forget that's bloody hard work too.  They did a great job.

The results to my mind tended more towards the technical then the expressive but that's pretty common nowadays and some couples really didn't hit the spot.  One lead was so negligent in his dancing to the point of injuring his partner again at a dance competition.  There was a nice split between the local and the visitors and the red and white rose (thankfully).

Was there a perfect dance? I don't think there is such a thing - I think there were several couples who I could have watched all day: Lottie and Joe, Matthew and his daughter Maddy and Heidi and Deej.  All came closest to connection and musicality at it's peak - thanks to them and so many others it was a fascinating and fulfilling competition for the spectator.

It was a simply marvellous day, out so hassle free and the freestyle the night before was well-worth attending too.  It was a great advert for competition dancing and my thanks go to Maja and Ceroc Addiction, to Jamie and Gary, to the judges and the entire backroom and front of house team for putting on such a great event - I know it was very hard work.  Looking forward to the same again next year and in the same venue please! Lovely time.