NG16 February/March 2022

Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick, Slow... by Gloria Morgan
Back in the day when every village hall had its
Saturday night ‘hop’, you could be certain to find large
numbers of young people diligently practising their
waltzes, quicksteps and foxtrots to the unmistakable
strains of Victor Sylvester’s “strict tempo” dance
rhythms.
There was always a weekly evening dance practice
locally. Most high streets had a Burton’s tailor
shop and these frequently had a large room above,
equipped with a ‘sprung’ wooden floor, making them
ideal for ballroom dancing.
A lot of couples got competitive. There were plenty
of opportunities, with local, regional and national
contests. In 1953 one started on TV.
The BBC launched “Come Dancing”, which was hugely
popular and ran for more than 400 episodes. There
could never be too many frills on the frocks, never
too many sequins, and never too many shiny shoes.
The most starry venue for dancing competitions was
Blackpool Tower Ballroom, an immense space with
as much glitter and glam as anybody could possibly
desire.
Eventually, among the general population, the craze
for “slow, slow, quick, quick, slow” faded away. No
one organised a dance in the church hall any more.
Interests changed, habits changed, the telly took
over as everyone’s main leisure time entertainment.
Happily, a few stalwarts kept the dance competitions
going, kept the glamour alive, and kept the standards
high.
Johannes – their “Pirates of the Carribean” pasodoble.
I thought this transcended what we are used
to seeing as ballroom dancing and moved towards
the realms of musical theatre.
I was reminded
of the groundbreaking
work of
choreographer
Matthew Bourne
who presented a
version of the ballet
“Swan Lake” in 1995
as it had never been
seen before. He retained Tchaikowsky’s music, but
dispensed with the ballerinas in tu-tu’s to represent
the swans, and instead used a cast of all male
dancers, clad only in white feathers and performing
bare-foot. I saw this live on stage at the time, and was
blown away by the sheer power of it.
I felt the same intensity and vigour in that paso-doble.
Nothing about it was Spanish, but everything was
as fearless as a matador, as outrageous as a pirate,
challenging in its choreography and precise in its
timing and presentation! It was a tour de force.
When the Strictly live tour comes to the Nottingham
Arena in February, I shall be there to see it first-hand.
I cannot wait.
When “Strictly Come Dancing” arrived on our screens
in 2004 it was a hit, with the added attraction of
celebrities being partnered with professional ballroom
dancers. Eighteen years later it is still delighting
millions of people on a Saturday night. Everyone
agrees the most recent season was exceptional and
the final, the best ever.
I would have been
happy for any of the
three finalists to win.
I was blown away by
one dance in particular
– the “movie week”
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