Karen Hilton

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

and Marcus Hilton

are a British dance couple, noted for competing in the disciplines of

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 ...

and

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

at both amateur and professional level. They have held a number of championship titles, including the World Professional Ballroom Championship, which they have won nine times representing

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. They are patrons of the

International Dance Teachers Association The International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) is a dance teaching and examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA currently has over 7,000 members in 55 countries. The IDTA is recognised by the nationa ...

and both work as dance teachers, lecturers and competition judges.

Dance career

The Hiltons first competed together in amateur dance competitions in 1978, achieving Championship titles in the UK for Latin American dance. They also competed in international events, representing Great Britain. In 1980, they took part in the United Kingdom Open Championship, qualifying for the World Amateur Latin American Championships in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. They represented England at the event, achieving 5th place. They later achieved Championship wins in the European and World Amateur 10 Dance Championships. The Hiltons became a professional dance couple in 1983, winning their first professional title at the British Rising Star Championship. The couple were married in 1986 and continued to dance professionally whilst giving demonstrations, teaching, lecturing and judging. In June 1997, both Karen and Marcus were awarded Membership of the Order of the British Empire in the

Queen's Birthday Honours List The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

. They competed professionally until their retirement in 1998, winning numerous Championship titles.

Titles and awards

The following is a complete list of titles and awards won by the Hiltons:http://www.dancesportinfo.net/Couple/Marcus_Hilton_and_Karen_Hilton_49768/Results.aspx List of championship titles from the archives at http://www.dancesportinfo.net ;

1981-1983 (Amateur)

* 1981 - World Amateur 10 Dance Champions * 1982 - World Amateur 10 Dance Champions * 1982 - World Amateur Latin Champions * 1982 - British Open Amateur Latin Champions (Blackpool) * 1983 - World Amateur Latin Champions * 1983 - British Open Amateur Latin Champions (Blackpool)

1984 (Professional)

* British Rising Star Champions

1986

* World Professional 10 Dance Champions * European Professional 10 Dance Champions * World Ballroom Championship - 3rd Place

1989

* World Professional Ballroom Segue Champions * BDF Award * USA Open Championship - Winners

1990

* World Ballroom Champions * European Ballroom Champions * British Ballroom Champions * British Open Championship - Winners * USA Open Championship - Winners * Norway Open Championship - Winners * World Cup - Winners

1991

* World Ballroom Champions * International Champions * United Kingdom Champions * USA Open - Winners

1992

* World Champions * International Champions * United Kingdom Champions * British Ballroom Champions * USA Open - Winners * BDF Award - Winners ;

1993

* World Champions * International Champions * European Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * German Open - Winners * USA Open - Winners * World Trophy - Winners * World Grand Prix - Winners * World Classic Show Dance - Winners * Carl Alan Award Winners * BDF Award Winners

1994

* World Champions * International Champions * European Ballroom Champions * British Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * USA Open - Winners * Japanese Open - Winners * World Classic Show Dance - Winners * Super World Cup - Winners * Woman of the Year Rochdale - Karen

1995

* World Champions * International Champions * British Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * European Ballroom Champions * USA Open - winners *

Carl Alan Award Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

* BDF Award Winners * Man of the Year Rochdale - Marcus ;

1996

* World Champions * International Champions * British Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * European Ballroom Champions * USA Open - winners * Japanese Open - Winners * BDF Award Winners

1997

* World Champions * International Champions * British Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * German Open - Winners * USA Open - Winners * UK Open - Winners * British Open - Winners * US Open - Winners * Both Awarded the

1998

* World Champions * British Ballroom Champions * United Kingdom Champions * International Champions *

* BDF Award Winners

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilton, Karen And Marcus British ballroom dancers English dancers Married couples Members of the Order of the British Empire Living people Year of birth missing (living people)