The Glittering Prize

I was a competitive modern ballroom and Latin American dancer from the tender age of 10. My partner David and I spent many hours practicing the routines we were taught by our coaches. Dad always advocated three hours of practice for every hour of tuition - after all he was paying for it.Our efforts soon had an effect and during our partnership we won many trophies. The first was the West Riding of Yorkshire championship at the lovely Huddersfield town hall. This was soon followed by both the South of England and East of England championships. We won a place in an English team that toured Switzerland, took third place in the British at Blackpool Tower and fifth in the International Championships at The Royal Albert Hall. It was a very exciting time.When I reflect on those glittering prizes, none is more important to me than one that is seemingly less important. It was totally unexpected. Before my partnership with David began, I danced with another little girl called Lynne and we were going to enter a competition at The Adelphi in Liverpool. Included in the day's events there was to be a 'Parent and Child' Cha Cha Cha competition. Although my dad was an accomplished ballroom dancer, when it came to Latin, he simply hadn't a clue.He didn't want to disappoint me, so he booked a couple of private lessons with my dance teacher. On the competition day, we took to the floor. We danced a nice little routine but towards the end of the music, dad went wrong. I was really cross and stormed off the floor without him. For a very small child, I had a very big temper.Imagine my surprise when the results were announced and dad and I had won first prize. He was thrilled. We were given a wonderful trophy, two golden figures dancing on top of a wooden plinth. That was 1967 and despite all other accolades, even my BA, that little trophy remains my most prized possession. It will never be surpassed.

My dad can dance a lovely waltz,
he's good at quickstep too
but when it comes to Latin dance,
he hasn't got a clue.
So dad came to my dancing school
to learn to cha cha cha,
he was a super student,
his hips were ooh la la!
We did the dance together
and won a glittering prize,
I always will remember
the pride in my dad's eyes.
Thanks for reading.  Adele  Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook