Introduction

Editorial: As winter once again wraps its snowy arms around London and the world comes to a halt it seems like a perfect opportunity to take a look back on a hugely eventful Year for Wright Rhythm and a look forward to what the future might hold...

Published Thursday December 31 2009 , by Peter Normand

2009 - A Retrospective

2009 - A Retrospective

As winter once again wraps its snowy arms around London and the world comes to a halt it seems like a perfect opportunity to take a look back on a hugely eventful year for Wright Rhythm and a look forward to what the future might hold...

A new home

Outside of competitions the big event of the year was, of course, the new studio.  As with any change like this it caused a bit of disruption as everyone figured out how best to get there and lessons times shuffled to accommodate new journeys but overall the advantages have been overwhelming.  Not only do we now have a bigger floor to dance on but we've secured an extra night's dancing every week, a separate kitchen for a bit of socialising and excellent public transport links.  Having only been there a couple of months it already feels like home from home.

Friends new and old (and not so old!)

The school continues to grow and it's been great to have so many new faces join us over the year as well as some returning after long and not so long absences.  As we continue to grow and change there has been plenty of partners swapping with some established partnerships breaking up but promising new ones taking their place.  The New Year looks like it's shaping up to be a good one for both the social and competitive sides of the school.

Competitive Success

Nobody could argue that 2009 wasn't a successful year on the competition floor. At the beginning of the year - a record number of competitors taking part in the IDTA Nationwide Medallist of the Year finals in Blackpool producing no less than 8 winners across all age groups then at the end of the year Supadance finals with two winning teams and 3rd place in the Adult first division.  It was also our first year with an official representation at the Modern & Classical Sequence finals.  With just 7 competitors it was a small contingent but we came back with 6 trophies and it looks like we might have caught the bug.

Everyone in the school contributes to this success, even if you're not on the podium yourself we all know that dancing is a confidence game and having the support of fellow dancers, friends and family gives our stars the confidence to shine.  We'll once again be taking a record number of competitors to Blackpool in 2010 (48 in total) so let's hope we can continue our success at every level.

Other Events

There was a spate of significant birthdays within the school this year.  No less than four of Wright Rhythm's most successful competitors turned 18 - Connor, Jemma, Alex and Chris. Sophia celebrated her 21st and Lexi hosted a fantastic 'come as a character with the first letter the same as your name' fancy dress party for her 16th.  Howard, Laurie and Steve also celebrated significant birthdays but discretion forbids me from saying exactly which they were.  The wedding of the year was Debs, and we wish her a long and happy marriage.

Back on the dance floor, 2009 also saw the formation of the junior show team who gave their first performances to rave reviews.  And four of the adult show team made their TV debuts appearing with the famous Ballet Boyz in a 'radical interpretation of The Rite of Spring, with dancers from different modern styles' for the BBC.

Finally, the year finished on a high with the Christmas Party and a guest appearance by the Wright Rhythm Spice girls who moved from their usual roles supporting their children at competitions into the spotlight by putting on an amazing performance (picture below, can you tell who's who?).  A fitting end to a fantastic year.

 

School Trophy Winners

Congratulations to all the winners, in a big year for Wright Rhythm, it's truly taken something special to stand out...

Trophy	2009 Winner(s)
Dancer Of The Year	Carys Woods
Adult	Kyle Magee Alex Cane
Junior 1	Holly Freeman
Junior 2	Jon Williams
Juvenile	Carys Woods
Stardance	Charlie Klysz
Senior Couple	Howard Lewis & Gillian Lewis
Adult Couple	Becky Emmott & Lizzie Harrison Chris Williams & Kim Currie
Junior Couple	Jon Williams & Carys Woods
Team Award	Juvenile Wright Dazzlers Adult 2nd Division Wright Dazzlers
Improver	Alexandra Withers
Senior Improver	Sylvia Magee
Adult Improver	Peter Normand Laura Klysz
Adult Social	Glen Joan
Adult Newcomer	Chris Helen
Social Newcomer	Oliver Spenser
Highest results in all disciplines	Becky Emmott Carys Woods
Contributors Cup	Kyle Magee Jemma Stripling