October 2009

The dance calendar features a variety of important events this month, including the International Championships, which are set to wow audiences in Brentwood before culminating in a dazzling grand finale at London’s Royal Albert Hall. This is directly followed by the Yorkshire Guernsey IDSF Open competition, which takes place on the beautiful island of Guernsey. I visited in July and was amazed to find a thriving dance scene that has flourished due to the tireless work of a core group of residents, who note the success of “Strictly Come Dancing” as a key factor in the surge of interest (see page 32). I caught up with one of the show’s new professionals, Katya Virshilas (page 18), and, fans will be pleased to hear there will be plenty of opportunities to see the rest of the professional team in action in 2010 as they prepare to embark on a brand new tour (see news, page 6).
As well as marking the start of a new volume, this month also sees my departure from Dancing Times Ltd, and although I will be working on the November issue, this is my last in the editor’s seat after four very happy years. During that time I have enjoyed meeting and talking to the many readers who have been in touch, all of whom share the same passion for dancing and for the magazine. It seems only right, therefore, that I leave you with the parting words I have seen and appreciated on so many emails and letters: Happy dancing!