Sorry I haven’t posted in such a long time. There has been nothing really to write about!
I can report that Laura and Todd danced at the above competition, and whilst they were not recalled into any further rounds, they both did themselves proud! They got 7 marks for their modern and 8 for their latin, which was only a hair’s breadth away from the much wanted callback! Ah well, that’s dancing for ya! But nobody minds losing to people who were of such a high standard, I was stunned by the standard of “beginners” in this competition! I could dance every day for 3 years and I would never come close to being as good as some of these kids. All of them were bigger than Laura and Todd as well, so we took a bit of comfort from that.
We flew to the UK on Friday morning, and then got a cab from the Airport to the Blackpool Hilton where we would be spending the next 2 nights. The taxi driver we got was a lovely man, full of chat and very friendly. I wish I had his number and I could recommend him to you all. Checked in quickly and found our room 352 – which was lovely. Nice and big with a flat screen tv, fridge etc. However, as is usual in these hotels there was not enough coffee sachets, and we had to ask both days for these to be filled. The windows opened fully (which was a first) and our room was much bigger and better than the others in our group had. Probably because we were a group of 3
We then decided to hit the shops – unfortunately this time of year is the end of the sales, so there was not that much to buy. However, Laura got the 3 things she wanted ie a Berghaus Jacket, a Peruvian hat like N’Dubz and a pair of black Velcro strap Nike trainers for school. All quite specific purchases, but she is that age where she knows EXACTLY what she wants! I got lots of bargain cheap stuff, but nothing particularly nice. Stopped off for lunch at KCF, got kids meals which fits in just about with my diet. Back to the hotel and we all went swimming. As under 14s are not allowed in the pool without adult supervision, I had to go as well…. Boo hoo! Didn’t want to! . Had a lovely carvery meal there that night, think it was about £22, but the kids ate free, which always saves a few quid. We all ate too much and felt sick. Staggered back to the room, but could not get to sleep until about 2am because of the internet machine constantly beeping. Didn’t dare turn it off at the wall – too scared of technology.
Anyway, the comp itself. Let me tell you about it. This was held on 10 January in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. I have heard a lot about this location, and how big the floor is, wonderful to dance on etc – yet I felt slightly underwhelmed? Maybe I have been spoilt by attending dance comps in the Villa Marina every month, which in my opinion is much posher!! My kids comp was on at 9am, so we had a very early start to say the least. Up at 6am to do 2 lots of hair, fake tan, make up etc I was tired before I even began! We had a rover ticket, so didn’t get seats, but we made ourselves a little base outside the Arena bar, and were very happy sitting on the floor playing with our Nintendo DS’s. You can tell by that statement how seriously my kids take their dancing can’t you! Everyone else around us was watching to look for tips on how to improve, but my gang were involved in Cooking Mama competitions, and Picto Chat! As they did not get recalled, we were free for the afternoon. We headed off to the amusement arcade to fill the slots and lose all our loose change which we did very successfully, then went back to Primark. The Blackpool one is not a patch on the Liverpool one to be honest. Still, I managed to find a few things that made it into my big blue net basket.
In the evening there was a display by Hazel Newbery and Johnathan Wilkins, but we were knackered, and just could not face going back out again. Oh, if you stay at the Hilton, it is quite a way out, too far to walk. You can get a taxi for about £4.50. There is also a Bus No 1 which goes up and down. This will be better value if it is just yourself – an adult single is £1.50.
Sunday came around too quickly. Booked a taxi to get us to the airport, but the driver was the most sour faced woman I have ever met. She stood there and watched us struggle with the cases, and then did not say a word all the way to the airport. She also had her heating belting out so the car was that hot, I felt like I was going to be sick! She didn’t get a tip from me, that’s for sure!
We checked in and were lucky enough to get a free upgrade into the Executive Suite. That was probably what the kids found the most exciting thing about the trip! Free food and drink – they were besides themselves pretending they were pop stars waiting for their private jet!
I don’t think we will be going to the UK to dance for a while though! It’s a very easy way to spend a grand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
