Scottish Champs 2013

Oh Lord I found this was still in the draft folder - apologies - in retrospect it was quite perceptive. But this was mostly written five months ago. SN April 2014

So imagine it's last November.......

Last year I posed the question about how the English regions might respond to the excellence happening in Scottish and Welsh dance competitions. The answer in the case of the Midlands champs is not much - or at least not enough in terms of promotion. There is a glimmer of hope in the proposal for a Northern (England) dance championships - I look forward to the realisation of the idea but would warn the organisers that it has taken four extraordinary people to get Scotland and Wales to their levels of excellence.

The team that look after the Scottish Championships are many - front of house, design and production of prizes and medals, a tried and tested set of DJs and a trusted group of judges who represent the best - with Scottish judges in the minority. The team effort extends to the teams of competitive dancers and their supports: South Wales, Essex, Yorkshire, Scottish groupings and beyond.

In Wales something similar has found a different but winning formula. Both events keep on giving

I'm an unrepentant and unapologetic champion of most dancing in Scotland and I think with good reason: its a special place where dancing holds a different place in the social structure. People have a different attitude to dance and don't need to prove themselves through competition. That they chose to do competition is delightful - especially a competition for charity. The metropolitan bias of English dancing is uninformed and unrewarding, especially at the moment - the regions need to take a greeter hold. Scotland and Wales are the places to go for good dancing - and not I'm sorry to say, England aside from a few exceptions.

So despite the police road block, the police escort, late arrival at the APP, and assorted traumas associated with dance competitions in general - I had a great time. The gathering of dancers for the tea dance and thereafter for Sunday Roast in the local Wetherspoons was perhaps best of all - chance to chat to old friends and make new ones. Breaking bread together still brings dancers closer together than dancing :-)

Can't wait for the next one.

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