News, Views and Feature Articles

Rafiq & Deb at the Rivoli Ballroom

Whether you are a non-dancer wanting to find out more about the world of dance or a seasoned pro there is always more you can learn. Equally, everyone at Wright Rhythm has their own unique experience of the world of dance, for fun, to compete, to socialise or (for the lucky few) to earn a living. This section is devoted to sharing these views and discovering more about that wonderful world we call dance.

If you have something interesting you'd like to share with the the rest of Wright Rhythm and the world in general I'd love to hear from you. Your piece can be as short or as long as you like and can be on any subject related to dance, Wright Rhythm, competitions you have taken part in or watched, demonstrations you have given or seen.

Please submit your article using the feedback form or by giving it to any of the teachers. You don't need to worry about formatting, spelling etc. as we'll edit all articles before they are published. Some ideas for articles we'd like to feature in this section are...

  • My first experience of ballroom dancing
  • My first competition
  • My first Blackpool
  • Top tips for beginners/competitors
  • Performing and demonstrations
  • My favourite professional couple and why

We look forward to receiving your contributions. In the meantime, please browse the articles that have already been submitted...

Articles

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Ready, Steady, Stop!

Published 24 June 2011, by Carol Elsbury

For those of you who are still reading my essays on “What I did at dancing” by Carol Elsbury (aged 50), you will know that when I last wrote I was two days away from going to the Qualifiers and, since then, have qualified, gone to the Supadance Finals and Blackpool


She's Back!

Published 30 January 2011, by Carol Elsbury

Carol originally titled this article "She’s back, she’s bigger ~ and not any better!" but, quite frankly, there's only one important part of that sentence so I decided to leave it there. We so missed Carol during her enforced absence it's fabulous to have her back brightening up the studio not to mention entertaining us with her writing...


2010 - A Retrospective

Published 30 December 2010, by Peter Normand

Can it really be a year since I sat down to review 2009? I guess time flies when you're having fun...


Discovering Dance

Published 12 July 2010, by Chris Bond

Sometimes you discover something that you'd never really thought of before and find a whole new world opens before you.  Despite the recent media coverage Ballroom and Latin dancing is still a minority sport often not the first thing people think of when looking for a new hobby.  Those who do discover our wonderful world, however, are usually caught up in the friendly, social, challenging and healthy nature of it and get hooked.  This is the story of how Chris came to discover dance


2009 - A Retrospective

Published 31 December 2009, by Peter Normand

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...


Carys' Silver Arts Award

Published 16 July 2009, by Cathy Woods

As everyone at Wright Rhythm will have discovered, when you start to dance it has a habit of taking over your life.  So when one of our star competitors, Carys, took her silver arts award (like the Duke of Edinburgh's but focused on taking part in arts) dancing was the obvious art to choose.  In order to pass, Carys had to demonstrate knowledge, ability and leadership in many aspects of her chosen art. Having covered leadership by helping out with the younger pupils at the school and knowledge by giving a fun and informative presentation to a group of non-dancers, she decided that the best way to demonstrate her ability would be to win the biggest competition of year - the IDTA Nationwide Ballroom and Latin American finals at Blackpool. This is the account of her quest that she submitted and which helped her pass the award...


Attitude Towards Competition

Published 15 January 2009, by Andrew Dancer

This article was originally written article in November last year. I was hoping to include it with some new features on the website but, due to time constraints these haven't materialised and with a new set of competitions upon us I didn't want to wait any longer. The article takes a look at how we can get the most from our dancing by thinking about what it is we want. It's an excellent, thought-provoking piece which will give food for though for the beginner and experienced competitor alike


They Think It's All Over....It Is Now!

Published 26 October 2008, by Carol Elsbury

We can't all be winners all the time.  Carol has entertained us with her meteoric rise from ballroom novice to Supadance champion.  Her words have given confidence and belief to numerous dancers who thought they couldn't do it and inspiration to all.  But it's much harder to share your story when it is an unhappy one and so it's with great thanks that I publish Carol's latest edition.  Carol is now such a central part of life at Wright Rhythm and has achieved so much over the last few years and one competition can't change that, but sometimes it can feel like it. Fortunately qualifiers and non-qualifiers alike we are one family at Wright Rhtyhm and must all continue to support each other as we always do.


The Nemesis Competition - and overcoming it!

Published 07 October 2008, by Bec Emmott

A personal reflection on this year's BCDC Invitation Competition at the Rivoli Ballroom


Dweeb-Wap

Published 16 September 2008, by Steve Elsbury

Steve's tale of his road to enlightenment in "The Way of the Bec", whilst preparing for his first Blackpool Nationwide Medallists' competition


Carol's Blackpool - Could this be the pinnacle?

Published 28 April 2008, by Carol Elsbury

It's the moment all Carol's fans have been waiting for and, boy what a wait it's been!  Carol has come a long way since her first tentative steps onto the dancefloor, she's had spectacular highs and a few lows along the way but she's kept us entertained through every step. Last we heard she was elated at having qualified for the IDTA Nationwide finals. Now she has to take that step onto the big stage, will her nerve hold out? Which Carol will take the floor, the confident performer we have come to expect? Or the shy girl who nervously stepped out onto the floor just a couple of years ago?


Laura's Blackpool

Published 07 April 2008, by Laura Klysz

Like many people, Laura took dance classes when she was young only to give them up during her teenage years. Fortunately for us (and her) she rediscovered her love of the sport last year and came along to Wright Rhythm with her Mum and younger brother (One of a number of familes who dance at the school). Since then she has become an integral part of the school, dancing on the Supadance team and regularly partnering at all levels. She also qualified for the IDTA Nationwide Latin finals, so last week she competed for the first time at the imposing venue of Blackpool's Winter Gardens. Now she has written an account of her experience...


Practice makes Perfect (or at least...better!)

Published 26 February 2008, by Andrew Dancer

With the Camber Sands Dance Festival over and Blackpool looming everyone at Wright Rhythm should be getting in to their competative stride. We are probably all wondering how we are going to perform on the day and what we can do to improve that performance.  This, then, is a timely article to help us think about our practice routines. Many thanks for an excellent article that will be of benefit to everyone from beginner to elite.


This time It's Personal!

Published 31 December 2007, by Carol Elsbury

Carol's story of her first Nationwide Qualifying event


2007 - A Retrospective

Published 31 December 2007, by Peter Normand

What a Year! So, as 2007 draws to a close, it's the time of year that we reflect on what has gone and look forward to what the future may hold.


End Of An Era

Published 10 December 2007, by Cathy Woods

A tribute to one of Wright Rhythm's most enduring and successful partnerships - Nichole and Carys


Tripping the Light-Fantastic

Published 22 November 2007, by Steve Elsbury

The master wordsmith has done it again. Be prepared to be gripped by this evocative account of life in the Supadance fast lane


Confessions of a Supadance Champion

Published 03 May 2007, by Carol Elsbury

It takes something special to be an elite competative dancer. Talent, dedication, fitness and an ability not to blank out half-way through your routine but even the greatest champions start with a first step. Just a few short months after taking to the floor for the first time Steve and Carol would be the first to admit that they are not world beaters, but they are champions - and they have the medals to prove it!


Flora London Marathon 2007

Published 22 April 2007, by Peter Normand

OK, I know it's not strictly dance related but everyone at Wright Rhythm has been so great in supporting me for the Marathon that I wanted to write a short article to let you know how I got on...


The Hot Seat - Charlotte's Interview

Published 12 February 2007, by Peter Normand

Reproduced from 'Valley Sports News' - The newsletter of Lea Valley High School.

It's always great when the achievements of Wright Rhythm dancers are recognised. Most recently it's Charlotte Field who has been getting her face in the local press (well, her school newsletter). She gave a great interview telling the world about the joys of dancing and that Wright Rhythm is the best club in the area, if not the world!


The Role of the Dance Partner

Published 05 February 2007, by Anonymous

Tell me I'm stating the obvious here but - you can't ballroom dance on your own!  We're lucky at Wright Rhythm to have so many talented and enthusiastic dancers that everyone can find someone to dance with, from beginners to advanced competitors. However, this can mean that we just muddle along, taking our partner for granted when really this relationship will be the most important thing in shaping us as dancers.  This anonymous article was recently send to wrightrhythm.co.uk and has some insightful observations and suggestions that may help you build a better partnership and so become a better dancer.


Two, Three, Four-One

Published 06 January 2007, by Steve Elsbury

An epic tale of one man's journey from dance-floor shuffler to ballroom champion. Read about the highs and the lows, the struggles and the sacrifices as you are transported into a world where following your dream is the only law of the land and destiny is what you wake up to every morning. Strictly Ballroom eat your heart out - this is the true story of Steve... the dancer


The First Step

Published 12 December 2006, by Carol Elsbury

Are you a ballroom virgin wondering what it's like to take those first few steps?  Many people have the desire to learn to dance but their fear of the unknown puts them off making that first step onto the floor.  A few months ago Carol and husband Steve were in just such a position, however, they took the plunge and haven't looked back since. Now Carol has written about their experience to make it a little less unknown for others...


Preparing for Blackpool

Published 04 November 2006, by Andrew Dancer

With so many people from the school qualifying for the Nationwide finals at Blackpool next April this is a very timely article on how we should all be preparing for this, the biggest competition of our year.  There are some great tips on psychology and really helpful advice, I know I'll be applying the ideas suggested.  Many thanks for getting our News, Views & Features section off to a flying start


Disclaimer: Please note that this website is run by enthusiastic supporters of Wright Rhythm and not the principals themselves. Opinions represented here are not necessarily those of the school, teachers or specific members.