Formation Fund Raising Event
Report by Sarah

Today I set off for Bedworth for a fund raising event in aid of the Dance Warehouse Junior Latin American formation team. This great event was organised by Isabel Warwick as part of the ongoing fund raising to get this super team to the Junior British competition at Easter in Blackpool. They have held the title to this prestigious event several times and are hoping to return this year to take it home to Solihull.

We entered to a packed ballroom in the Bedworth Civic centre where people of all ages were proudly dancing around together to the sounds provided by Martin Cutler. It was a night of general dancing and demonstrations by some of the countries top juvenile, junior and youth competitors. We were also given the opportunity to have the first sighting of the formation teams new routine and to top the evening off were entertained and enthralled by the graceful pairing of Camilla Dallarup and Ian Waite.


The show kicked off with the youngest dancers. George Oakes and Rebecca Scott performed a samba and a cha cha whilst David Cockram and Kelsey Fryer danced to a jumping jive and a warming waltz. These two young couples were mesmerising and will be great ambassadors to dance for many years to come. Next to perform were a junior couple who had travelled from Bristol. Jonas and Sasha delighted us with their saucy samba and fantastic foxtrot. Both of these young dancers are 15 years old but showed us some elegance and maturity above their years. They surely are a couple to watch out for in the future.

The moment we had all been waiting for had arrived. Stars to the dance floor and TV screen, Ian and Camilla, graced us with their show. The modern ballroom was the first on their repertoire and we all watched star struck as they performed a beautiful waltz. Both very tall and elegant, with lifts and a fabulous routine they pulled us in to the story they were telling through dance. After a speedy costume change we welcomed Camilla back to the floor for a quickstep routine that mirrored the force of the high winds we have all felt on our journeys of late. Precision of footwork combined with the speed sent us in to a frenzy of cheers.

Whilst the main stars of the show were taking a well earned breather it was the turn of the Youth couples to grace the floor. First up in this fantastic evening were Ben Atkinson and Stephanie Warwick with a cheeky Cha Cha routine that had everybody clapping and certainly made a few eyes water when Stephanie performed a very fast split towards the end of the routine. Following them were David Ellis and Danielle Grover. They are also a new couple to this age group and they delighted us with their sensual Rumba routine. Finally in the Latin section of the youth couples were Jamie Cutler and Lauren Oakley. Although Jamie has been in youth for a year now his beautiful partner Lauren is still only 15 years old but this certainly did not show as they performed a very quirky and stylish Samba. Now the Latin had been displayed it was off for a change in costume and mood. They returned to enthrall us with their modern ballroom routines. Up first again was Ben and Stephanie. In a beautiful pink and gold gown Stephanie shone and this was complimented by Ben in his tail suit. The dance they chose to perform was the Waltz. This flowed around the dance floor and they made it look easy and oh so elegant. David and Danni followed this with a fiery but controlled Tango. Danni dressed in scarlet and David with a matching coloured tie, they set the scene for what is probably the most dramatic dance out of all the ballroom dances. Again this couple made it look easy and we all know that it is not. For the final dance of the evening from the super youth couples it was a flowing foxtrot from Jamie and Lauren. Such grace and fluidity was shown by this couple. They moved around the floor as though they were skating on ice. The passion was more than evident on this young couples face.

The finale to this wondrous event was to watch Ian and Camilla in the Latin section of their show. This couple certainly know how to really tell a story through their dance. We were given a superb display of Paso Doble to Phantom of the Opera and a romantic view on the Rumba, and not forgetting their very fruity Cha Cha Cha. Again we saw daring lifts and a spin that would have made a spinning top dizzy.


Thanks go out to Isabel Warwick, Ian and Camilla and all the Dance Warehouse dancers for making this a fantastic evening of dance, also to Martin and Carole Cutler for all the hard work they put in to make these kids as good as they are.