Surrey Ballroom and Latin Dance Club (BLDC) have a long history of taking beginner dancers and turning them into stars. This year, they did just that by partnering with the Students Union to bring Strictly Come Surrey back with a bang!
In January, seven campus celebrities with no dancing experience were chosen from a pool of nominations. Each of those celebrities was paired with a ‘professional’ from BLDC, with the pro given just 10 weeks to come up with a dance, teach the celeb and create a performance.
All of their hard work was rewarded with a night of show stopping performances in the Ivy Arts Centre on campus. BLDC’s members wowed the audience with some group routines and each of the celebs did themselves proud, with one couple even scoring a full set of tens from the esteemed judging panel.
James Bowbrick Smith (Co-Creative Director of Strictly Come Surrey 2023) said: “With the show laying dormant for a couple of years it was a lot of work to bring it back. However, it was all worth it. We were lucky to have a fantastic bunch of celebs who were keen to get stuck in and credit must go to the BLDC dancers for showcasing their talent and our club so well”.
Huge congratulations to Charlie Mascall (Team Surrey Sport Development Officer) and his pro partner Abbie for their winning Jive!
Strictly is so much more than just a show as it gives the BLDC members as well as the celebs a chance to develop new skills.
Emma Slade (Co-Creative Director of Strictly Come Surrey 2023) said: “I first got involved in Strictly Come Surrey in my first year of university and it was an honour to work my way up to becoming a co-director of the show. Choreographing multiple group routines was a challenge, but was a fantastic opportunity to develop both as a teacher and personally as a dancer”.
If you fancy giving dance a go, why not join BLDC in September, or if you know a celebrity you think would make an excellent dancer then keep an eye out for Strictly Come Surrey 2024!
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