Ballroom Dancing with Donna Ltd.

12 September 2010 2,853 views

Ballroom Dancing
With Donna Ltd.

I have always been a dancer but started out (like most little girls) doing Ballet, Tap and modern dancing. I then went to a local dance school to learn disco dancing where I started to do competitions. At the same school they ran ballroom dancing classes and once I had joined in with a class I instantly gave up all of the other strains of dancing and concentrated on Ballroom & Latin American. Here my brother also joined in and we embarked on exams & medals. We soon discovered the world of competitions and (with different partners) started to compete locally and then nationally. When my brother was 14 (and tall enough) we decided we would like to dance together as it would be much easier then dancing with partners from different parts of the country as we had been doing. After consulting with the official board for dancers we were told that once Darren turned 15 (I was 18 at that point) we would be able to join the Amateur ranks. We then spent three months training in London & having costumes made and then on Darren’s 15th birthday we entered our first competition together. Here we would compete alongside some of the stars of Strictly Come Dancing touring all over the country and winning several trophies. We continued to train in London with some of the biggest names in Ballroom dancing until I decided to retire from competing and start teaching at the age of 21.

Teaching

I have been teaching & running my own business for over 16 years. I had a short break whilst working in the radio industry. I teach in various locations around the Wymondham area. I taught for the adult education services covering 9 classes in three different centres. Up until recently I taught dance in a private school for 6 years. I run 7 classes a week ranging from beginners to advance level. Due to the ever popular programme Strictly Come Dancing I need to start new beginner level classes every 6 months to simply keep up with the demand. I run regular practice sessions and social dances. Teach private lessons and (an area that has become increasingly popular and quite a speciality of mine) choreograph wedding first dances for couples. I teach at team building days, various groups such as young farmers & Easton College, hen parties, birthday parties and workshops to specialise in certain dances such as the Viennese Waltz & the Paso Doble.

Highlights

One of the highlights of my career was being able to host an evening Strictly Come Dancing stars Darren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova in July of 2009 (see various photos) . The evening was a chance for over 200 of my pupils to watch an amazing Latin American Dance demonstration, to ask them questions and to have their photos taken with the both of them.

Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing is a fantastic way of helping you with some gentle exercise. It keeps your mind occupied whilst having fun. The classes are all run in a friendly & relaxed atmosphere and a great way of socialising. If you haven’t got a partner don’t worry there is probably someone there for you to partner up with. All of the dances offer different rhythms so whether you like to take things slow with a gentle Waltz or fire up the hot blood in you with the Latin American dances there is something for all ages & abilities.

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Beginner opportunity

If you would like to try ballroom dancing then a brand new class is starting on Friday 10th September. This class is a weekly class being run at The Wicklewood Village Hall 7.30 – 8.30pm £4.50 per person. Dances you will learn are the Waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, Tango, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive & the Samba.