|
Irish Dancing - British National Championships Blackpool
by John Egan
The Winter Gardens in Blackpool was chosen once again as the splendid setting for the annual British National Championships in Irish Dancing.
This major annual event, organised by the North West Teachers and Adjudicators Association, is one of two national championships held in England.
The other is the Great Britain Championships, organised by the Southern Regional Council, and both of these alternate each year as an event through which dancers from England, Wales and Scotland can qualify to compete in the World Championships.
This year it was the turn of the 16th British National Championships to be a qualifying route to next year’s World Championships in Belfast. Undoubtedly this was a major factor in attracting a record number of entries this year, coupled with the growing popularity of Irish dancing worldwide both in terms of audience entertainment and competitive participation.
But not all of those who competed came to Blackpool to qualify for Belfast. Many came from Ireland, North America and Australia and these were not eligible for qualification except via their own regional and national events.
However it provided everyone with the opportunity to compete at a national and international level with dancers of the highest standards, many of whom will go on to compete in the World Championships.
In all there were in excess of 1,500 entries from 158 schools treading the boards of the Empire Ballroom and Pavillion Theatre of the Winter Gardens. To single out any one school for special attention might be invidious, but I find this difficult to avoid in the case of the Doherty Academy. Next week I hope to draw attention to the record-breaking achievements of this Midlands-based school.
|
