The 8-day Blackpool Dance Festival is the world's first and most famous annual

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

dance competition Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before a ...

of international significance, held in the

Empress Ballroom The Empress Ballroom is an entertainment venue in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre. As part of the Winter Gardens, the ballroom is a Grade II* Listed Bu ...

at the Winter Gardens,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, England since 1920. It is also the largest ballroom competition: in 2013, 2953 couples from 60 countries took part in the festival. As of the early 21st century the festival is held in May. It covers ballroom and Latin American dancing, American smooth and incorporates the British Open Championships in categories of adult amateur and professional couples and

formation team Formation dance is a style of ballroom dancing. It is pattern or shadow team dancing by couples in a formation team. The choreography may be based on a particular dance or a medley of dances. Formation dancing may be done for exhibition or for compe ...

s. In 2005 two new categories were introduced: the British Rising Star Amateur Ballroom and Latin Competitions. Two invitation events, the Professional Team Match and the Exhibition Competition, create much interest. The Junior Dance Festival, Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival which incorporates the

British Sequence Championships The British Sequence Championships are ballroom dancing championships for adults and children held annually in Blackpool, England. The championships for adults take place as part of the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival and have been running ...

, and British National Dance Festival are also held annually in Blackpool. The annual World Professional

Dancesport Dancesport is competitive ballroom dance, ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair. Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesp ...

ChampionshipWorld Professional Dance Sport Championship, Blackpool, England
/ref> is often held in Blackpool (5 times between 1989 and 2012), but is not connected with the Dance Festival. The world's largest amateurs' dance festival is the annual Euro dance festival in

Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...

, Germany, where shows of professional dancers are combined with workshops for a wide range of dancers from beginners to professionals.

Cultural references

It was depicted in the 1996 award-winning Japanese film, '' Shall We ダンス?'', directed by

Masayuki Suo Masayuki (written: , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese animator and director *, Japanese actor *, Japanese baseball player and manager *, Japanese politician *, ...

and again, in the 2004 U.S. remake '' Shall We Dance?''. Mai, played by Tamiyo Kusakari in the original film, and Paulina, played by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

in the 2004 film, competed in the Dance Championship when, together with their partners; both suffered a fall during the semi-finals, causing them to be disqualified.

References

{{reflist

External links

Blackpool Dance Festival official websiteBlackpool Dance home page at danceplazaThe History of the Blackpool Dance Festival
Ballroom dance Dancesport competitions Blackpool Ballroom dance competitions Dance festivals in the United Kingdom 1920 establishments in England Annual events in England Music festivals established in 1920