View our Current IDSF World Ranking, Standard. (As of
01/01/08)
View our Current IDSF World Ranking, Latin. (As of 01/01/08)
JANUS Awards - 9th May 2008:
The JANUS Awards are Northern Irelands' equivalent of the Oscars for the tourism and hospitality industry.
This year the final awards ceremony takes on a "Strictly Come Dancing" theme and Ian & Victoria will perform a variety
of dances during the evening. The awards will be held at The Europa Hotel, Belfast on Friday 9th May.
This is a very exclusive "Red Carpet" event with previous winners including Paul Rankin.
Ian & Victoria also performed at the launch of the Awards in February at Ten Square Hotel, Belfast.
For more details please visit the "Institute of Hospitality"
website.
15th Annual "Red Rose Day Variety Show"- 23rd April 2008:
To Celebrate St Georges Day 2008, Starlite Entertainers Productions presented a fantastic Charity Variety show.
Ian & Victoria performed a variety of themed dances for the show, including the debut of their spectacular Argentine Tango show number.
The show was held at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate on Wednesday 23rd April.
All the proceeds from the night were donated to charity. For more information on the theatre, please visit their
website.
Cultureal Event - March 29th 2008:
Cultureal is an arts Festival based in Sandwich, Kent and aims to recognise and celebrate Sandwich's unique cultural heritage.
We performed a Ballroom & Latin show, live to the Beverly Big Band at the "Last Dance"
event of this day long festival. Along with this, there was dance instruction from professional teachers before the band
took to the stage so last moment techniques were honed. The "Last Dance" specific event was held in St Mary's Church.
All events were free to the public to spectate and participate, bringing the community together.
For more information on the event, please visit the Cultureal website
here.
European Championship of Dance:
During February 2008 we took part in the European Championships of Dance, in Spain. The contest was held over a week with a
variety of individual dances contested individually. We made the final in every competition we entered, our best placings being
4th in both the Cha Cha Cha and Paso Doble competitions. We also decided to venture into something brand new for us,
competing in the Argentine Tango championship, we were very pleased to make the final at our first attempt.
This competition was very different to anything we have ever experienced before - not only because the floor size was so limited,
but also because the judging panel were not qualified dancers, more TV personalities, local dignitaries and such like.
Photographs from the Argentine Tango Event can be seen below:    
For additional photographs - please visit the Gallery here.
Muir Maxwell Trust Show:
During December 2007 we took part in a huge fund raising ball for the Muir Maxwell Trust at the Dorchester Hotel, London.
The theme was a Venetian Masked ball and was hosted by 2 dancers, Angela Rippon & Natasha Kaplinsky.
We danced a Waltz and Viennese Waltz live to the London Symphony Orchestra
to open the dance floor for the guests. The event was spectacular and the evening raised over 1 million pounds
for the charity that supports children with Severe Epilepsy.
For more information on The Muir Maxwell Trust, please visit their website
here.
Gordon Giltrap DVD Shoot:
A long time ago we were invited to dance for a new DVD being released by "Gordon Giltrap".
The DVD is a media edition of his new album "Drifter". On this album is a fantastic Viennese Waltz track called "Mrs Singers Waltz".
We were recorded dancing to the track, which has now finally been edited and released
exclusively onto Youtube, you can watch that here:
For more information on Gordon Giltrap and our day shooting the video, please visit his website
here.
To see photographs taken on the day by photographer "Sue Holton" please see the
Sue Holton Gallery in our photograph collection.
Hampshire Dance Festival - September 2007:
During September we had a successful weekend at the Hampshire Dance festival, winning the Hampshire Amateur Ballroom Championship
convincingly. This trophy has been in circulation since 1945 and has some real "legends" engraved on the plinth and we are both
honoured to join this list of champions.
We were also successful in the Amateur Latin, winning the Hugh Fowler Challenge Trophy. The day was well organised and there was
good music and compeering throughout the day. Photographs to follow...
Music Music Music - Summer Season Show - Every Tuesday Evening in August 2007:
Ian & Victoria will perform a Fred & Ginger themed ballroom & latin cabaret/show for the summer Season of "Music, Music, Music"
at The Pavilion theatre, Westgate On Sea. The show starts at 7.30 pm and will run every
Tuesday in August.
For more information, or to book tickets, please call the Box Office on 01843 835611.
The Albany Charity - Dance Show - 9th July 2007:
Ian & Victoria performed a ballroom & latin cabaret/show for the Albany Charity fund. The event will took place at the Wintergardens, Margate on Monday 9th July.
The Albany fund is a Licensed Taxi Drivers fund for children with special needs. Over 120 licensed taxi cabs join together in a convoy bringing children to the seaside for a special day out.
All money raised goes to schools and homes to purchase anything that local councils cannot provide for these special children.
For more information on the charity, please visit the Albany Charity Fund Website
Here.
14th Annual "Red Rose Day Variety Show"- 23rd April 2007:
To Celebrate St Georges Day 2007, Starlite Entertainers Productions presented a fantastic Charity Variety show.
Ian & Victoria performed a variety of themed dances for the show, which was held at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate on Monday 23rd April at 7.30pm.
All the proceeds made on the night were donated to charity. See the poster here.
The Isis Care Centre - Grand Opening - 20th April 2007:
Ian & Victoria performed a ballroom & latin cabaret to mark the Grand Opening of the Isis Care Centre, Oxford on the 20th April.
The new care home has a fantastic sprung maple dance floor as one of it's features. Guests and residents were invited to attend and enjoy the celebrations.
For more details, please visit "The Order Of St John Care Trust" Website
Here.
The Swing Dance Company - 7th April 2007:
Ian & Victoria provided a "fairytale" ballroom & Latin cabaret for "The Swing Dance Company". They hold an annual ball over the
Easter weekend, this year the theme was "Fairy Tale".
Many of the teachers and students dressed up and everybody looked fantastic. There was a brilliant live band the Ding Dong Daddio's playing throughout the evening
and it was fantastic to watch the teachers Snow White & the 7 dwarfs swing style cabaret. For more details, please visit the Swing Dance Company's Website
Here.
Ramsgate Carnival Association - March 2007:
Ian & Victoria provided a show for the Ramsgate Carnival Association's Annual Carnival Queen Selection Ball, at the Oddfellows Hall, Ramsgate.
They donated their services for free to help out this local association.
The evening involved the selection of the 2007 Ramsgate Carnival Queen & Princesses - Ian & Victoria would like to wish
all the girls selected for the 2007 season the best of luck.
January - February 2007:
During January we took part in the UK championships in Bournemouth, dancing in the two Rising Star Amateur events,
as well as the UK Amateur Ballroom Championship.
In February we made the trip across to Ireland to Dance in the "Celtic Classic", our best ballroom result of this competition being a semi final placing in the International A Class,
and a quarter final placing in the corresponding Latin American event.
TLH (Torquay Leisure Hotels) Show - February 2007: Early February we danced at the Torquay Leisure Hotel's Chatsworth Ballroom in the "Toorak Hotel". A fabulous "Learn to Dance" break was being run by Gerald & Margaret Thompson.
We performed a variety of Ballroom & Latin dances, some as basics, so the guests could see what they had been learning over the week, and other as "show" style dances.
The whole week was a great success with many of the guests booking straight away for next year. Our thanks go to 2 great friends, Gerald & Margaret and to the two fantastic photographers Clive Smith and Roger Allen.
Below are a couple of photographs taken during the show:    
For additional photographs taken during the event - please visit the Gallery here.
1940's Show - January 2007: In January we took part in a 1940's theme holiday. The whole hotel was fully "themed" to 1940's style with a cinema showing old movies, "mess halls" for food,
classic indoor "games" such as coconut shy's, and plenty of "WW2 - We Want You!!" posters. For the "dance hall" night, our remit was "Strictly Come Dancing goes 1940's".
We danced 3 ballroom & 3 Latin American dances to original 1940's music, with hair and makeup to match the era - the only modern twist was the costumes.
The whole week went fantastically well, and the organisers were pleased that most of the guest's didn't want to go home at the end!!!.
23rd Christmas Cracker Variety Show:
- Friday December 15th 2006:
Starlite Entertainers Productions presented their 23rd Christmas Cracker Charity Variety Show at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate on Friday the 15th December 2006.
We danced 4 Latin American style numbers in the show, with a Christmas theme. All proceeds from the night went to charity.
See the poster here
"How Music Works", Now showing on Channel 4: Channel 4's new series "How Music Works" begins on Saturday 18th November at 8.25pm and will run for 4 weeks with a different theme each week.
We will feature in the fourth programme airing on 9th December at around 8.25pm on channel 4 (times subject to schedule change).
Take a look at the Channel 4 website "How Music Works" where we are highlighted in the "Featured performers" section.
39th International Tanzturnier, Germany - October 2006: In late October we represented England at the 39th International Tanzturnier in Germany. This involved 14 different couples, each representing different countries
competing in both ballroom & Latin American competitions. We were both very honoured to find that we were the very first English couple to ever dance at this competition, which was in it's 39th year.
It was a phenomenal evening with a fantastically decorated hall and a wonderful demonstration from Franco Formica & Oxana Lebedew. We achieved 10th placing in both the Ballroom & Latin American competitions.
More importantly we established some good friends and would like to thank all involved for their wonderful hospitality.
See the photographs:    
For additional photographs taken during the event - please visit the Gallery here.
Welsh & Welsh Border Counties Championships, October 2006:
Early October we danced at the Welsh Border Counties championships in Chepstow. We won both the Ballroom & Latin American Championship titles.
Below is a photograph from the day:    
Welsh Border Counties Ballroom         Welsh Amateur Ballroom Champions 2006.
& Latin American Champions 2006.
Late October we took another trip back to Wales, this time to Cardiff, to dance in the Welsh Open Championships. This time, we won the Welsh Open Amateur Ballroom championship
and were runners up in the Latin American Championship. There was a large entry and some very good couples competing on the day, so we were
very pleased with this result.
For Photo - see above or see the photogallery.
Charity Work & Shows, October 2006:
During October we took part in 2 very exciting projects, the first was the VIP opening night of a brand new Nightclub, "Talk" in Herne Bay, Kent.
The night begun with a champagne reception and welcome, people were shown around, and the versatility of the building was highlighted.
We danced a Latin American show on the huge dance floor to a very packed and enthusiastic audience. For photographs of the club and more info
click here.
The second was a charity show for "Oasis", a women's refuge. Their Annual fund raising ball was themed crystal and casino, with a gorgeously decorated room, with a gambling
casino on the side.
We donated our time and danced a latin american show in between dinner courses. We also offered to be "auctioned" to dance a rumba with the winning bidder.
I am happy to announce that Ian raised £150 - with 2 ladies fighting over who had actually won the bid!! Victoria pipped Ian (thanks go to Frank Thorley who outbid everybody else) with a £250 bid.
So together we helped raise £400 - a very nice figure. For Oasis's website click here.
International Dance Gala, Austria - August 2006: In early August we represented England at the International Dance Gala in Austria. This involved 11 different couples, each representing different countries
dancing both ballroom & Latin American for 3 evenings of dance competitions at different locations in Austria & Germany.
The first Night was at the Altes Kurhaus in Bad Reichenhall, Germany. We placed 7th in ballroom and 8th in the Latin American competition.
The second evening was held in a beautiful Austrian Spa village in the mountains at the Kursaal, Bad Hofgastein, Austria. We placed 7th in ballroom and 8th in the Latin American competition.
The third and final evening was held at the Stadthalle, Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. We placed 7th in ballroom and 8th in the Latin American competition.
Over the three days we ended up finally in 7th place.
We had a most fantastic time and met some lovely people who we will stay in touch with for a long time to come. See the photograph of all the couples
here.
For more photographs taken during the event - please visit the Gallery here.
"How Music Works", Channel 4 TV Shoot: During June we took part in some filming for Channel 4's new series of "How Music Works". Along with 3 other couples we choreographed and danced to
Strauss's Waltz "Roses from the South". The idea was to show how the baseline of Strauss's music allows the dancers to "re-set" their feet at certain points during the music.
The programme is due to air in late November 2006 - check back for full confirmation on dates and times.
Click to see a photograph from the day
here. Photo shows from L - R: Anthony Price, Zoe Price, Kristi Boyce, Ian Sharpe, Victoria Lawrence, Alexander Shindila, Katie Gleason, Warren Boyce.
"Simply - Come Dancing" - Saturday 10th June 06 @ The Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone:
A fantastic evening of live music and dance with East Kent's Premier Dance Band, along with cabaret dances from Ian & Victoria.
See the poster
here.
13th Annual "Red Rose Day Variety Show":
To Celebrate St Georges Day, Starlite Entertainers Production presented a this fantastic Charity Variety show. The show was held at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate on Sunday 23rd April.
We danced a variety of numbers in the show, with all the proceeds made on the night being donated to charity. See the poster here. Photographs
from the show are now in the Demonstrations Gallery.
Beverly Big Band Valentines Dance
- Saturday February 11th 2006:
East Kent's premier dance orchestra, The Beverly Big played live for a fantastic "Romance" themed evening of dance.
We danced a variety of "romance" themed dances to the live Big Band, along with a few of our own cabaret dances. See the poster here.
The dance was held at the Westgate Hall, Canterbury, Kent. For more information on "The Beverly Big Band" or to find out about forthcoming events,
please contact Christine on 01227 712355.
December 2005 - February 2006:
In February we competed at the Celtic Classic in Ireland. We ended a respectable 14th place in the "A Class" Ballroom and 16th place in the "A Class" Latin.
We also danced in the IDSF world ranking Ballroom competition. All in all a very successful weekend, we look forward to visiting Ireland again very soon.
We had a very busy January, preparing for and competing at the UK championships in Bournemouth. Also during January we competed at Horndean, winning 2 fantastic trophies for both Amateur Ballroom & Latin American events.
During an extremely hectic festive season, December saw us retain the Sussex Amateur Ballroom Trophy for the 8th time.
22nd Christmas Cracker Variety Show
- Friday December 9th 2005:
Starlite Entertainers Productions presented their 22nd Christmas Cracker Charity Variety Show. The show was held at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate on Friday the 9th December 2005.
We danced 4 Latin American style numbers in the show, with a Christmas theme. All proceeds from the night went to charity.
See the poster here
"Test The Nation" - Saturday October 8th 2005:
Early October we took part in the BBC's live Saturday night show "Test the Nation" with Ann Robinson & Philip Schofield.
Participating in the live studio "Ballroom Dancers" group. The programme theme was "Test the Nation: Know your English".
The programme aired in 2 parts, the first part being the actual test, the second part the "results show".
The studio groups chosen were: "Ballroom Dancers", "Surgeons", "BBC Local Radio Presenters",
"Receptionists", "Uni Fresher's" and "Greengrocers". Along with the celebrities for the night!
As a group we managed a creditable 4th place with an average score of 46 (beating the national average), beating the Receptionists, Greengrocers &
Fresher's.
If you would like to try the test online, please visit the
BBC Test The Nation website.
Greater London Championships - September 2005:
Late September 2005 saw us compete in the Greater London Ballroom & Latin American Championships.
The day was a success for us as we won the Greater London Amateur Latin Championship
and were runners up in the Ballroom Championship.
We also won the Amateur 10 Dance Rosebowl for being the highest placed amateur couple over all 10 dances.
July 2005:
During July we competed at a variety of competitions. Early July we danced at the UK Closed Championships in Bournemouth in both Ballroom, Latin & 10 dance competitions, placing 7th in 10 dance.
The weekend of the 15th saw us competing in the Isle Of Man Championships. We placed 2nd in the 3 major championships,
Ballroom, Latin & 10 dance. We also placed 1st in the Open Viennese Waltz and the team we danced for in the team match also won.
The last 2 weeks of July we competed in the IDSF World Ranking competitions in Penticton, Canada. We placed 8th In the Amateur Ballroom and 7th in the Amateur Latin (missing the final by only one mark).
We also danced our Quickstep Cabaret for the Final nights Showcase. For full IDSF results please see: Ballroom results &
Latin results.
Leukaemia Busters - Venetian Masquerade Ball - Saturday June 11th 2005:
We danced a Ballroom cabaret at the Leukaemia Busters Venetian Masquerade Ball on the 11th June.
The event was held at the Southampton Guildhall, which was transformed into the romantic and enchanting city of Venice for the evening.
The evening commenced at the Southampton City Art Gallery with a champagne reception, then onto the Guildhall for a 4 course Italian themed meal,
followed by a variety of themed entertainment.
We are happy to announce that the evening raised around £27,000 for Leukaemia Busters -fantastic & what a fantastic night had by all.
For further information on the cause, please click here to visit their website.
NATD Centenary Dinner Dance - Saturday May 21st 2005:
We danced our brand new Comedy Cabaret at this prestigious Dinner Dance. It was a fantastic evening with Ross Mitchell playing live music.
Our cabaret had the audience in stitches!!!
Beverly Big Band Cabaret - Saturday May 14th 2005:
We danced our 5 Dance Ballroom Cabaret at the "Beverly Big Band's" 10th Anniversary May Ball on the 14th May. The event was held at the Westgate Hall, in Canterbury, Kent.
The evening was a phenomenal success and what a fantastic crowd to dance for - very warm and friendly, obviously dance lovers.
See the poster here.
For more information on the Beverly Big Band, please contact Christine on 01227 7123552.
Forthcoming Charity Show's - April & May 2005:
During April & May we danced in 2 local charity events. The first was on the 15/16th April
at "The Pavilion", Sea Road, Westgate-On-Sea, Kent. This show was in aid of "St Saviours Church Tower" restoration appeal.
The second was "The TS Bulldog Variety Show 3" on the evening of Friday 13th May at "The Pavilion-On-The-Sands", Broadstairs, Kent.
See the poster here.
Both shows were a success raising large sum's of money for the respective charities. Watch out for more charity events
coming soon, or contact Ralph Hoult on 01843 852647.
"Winter Variety Spectacular Show" -12th February 2005:
We danced in this charity show, in aid of the Alzheimer's Society, held at
"The Theatre Royal",
Margate, Kent during February. Dancing a variety of Latin American themed dances.
See the poster here
January 2005:
During January we competed at the UK Championships in Bournemouth. We also danced at Weston Super Mare in both the EADA & IDSF Open Standard competitions,
we made the semi final of the world ranking competition and were placed 9th.
For full IDSF results please see here.
On the same day we also danced in the "Open Basic Foxtrot Dancer Of The Year", which we won - retaining the title from last year.
Gordon Giltrap DVD Shoot:
During December 2004 we were invited to dance for a new DVD being released by "Gordon Giltrap".
The DVD is a media edition of his new album "Drifter". On this album is a fantastic Viennese Waltz track called "Mrs Singers Waltz".
We were recorded dancing to the track, which will be edited into the DVD with Gordon playing the Guitar.
For more information on Gordon Giltrap, please visit his website here.
To see photographs taken on the day by photographer "Sue Holton" please see the
Sue Holton Gallery in our photograph collection.