October 2008

With the start of a new volume this month comes news of another fresh beginning in the promotion of Jonathan Gray into the role of editor of our sister magazine, Dancing Times. Jonathan takes the reigns from Mary Clarke, who has dedicated an amazing 54 years of her life to Dancing Times Ltd and who now assumes the position of emeritus editor and will continue to contribute to the magazine’s content. Many readers will be familiar with her name – Mary was of course editor of Ballroom Dancing Times for many years, having worked as assistant editor on Dancing Times before the magazine split into its ballet and ballroom constituents in 1956. After the announcement of her retirement in the July issue, tributes from dancers around the world who have encountered her on both a professional and personal level begun pouring in, testament to her vast knowledge of dance as well as to her warm, steadfast character. Mary remains a much loved member of the team, and although her successor admits she will be a hard act to follow, we have every faith in him and look forward to many more years of the magazine’s success.
Katie Gregory

In this month's issue    

6 News
Boogie for your Bones, West End news and more
9 Letters
Your views and opinions
10 DanceScene
That’s Entertainment at Harrods; Spitalfields Gala Tea Dance; The Hampshire Festival 2008; BDF Page
20 Blonde ambition
Katie Gregory meets the new stars of “Strictly Come Dancing”, Kristina Rihanoff and Hayley Holt
26 New Vogue
Rachelle Stretch looks at the dance style taking Australia by storm
32 Flying the flag
Katie Gregory reports from this year’s Eurovision Dance Contest, held at Glasgow’s SECC

39 Memory makers
Rachelle Stretch takes a trip down memory lane with Blanche Ingle-Bateman
44 Strictly Shakespeare
Alison Gallagher-Hughes meets members of the Royal Shakespeare Company
49 Walk this way
Alison Kirkman discovers Nordic Walking for dancers
54 Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray
Jonathan Gray reviews the show at London’s Sadler’s Wells
57 Book reviews
Katie Gregory reviews new “Strictly Come Dancing” autobiographies
58 Sequence section
Jewel Jive by Stuart Perry and Beverly Howard

60 Paso La Paz by Steven Shaw and Helen Blackburn
62 Variations A simple sparkler in Waltz by Snieguole Wood
63 A simple sparkler in Jive by Steven Verrall
64 Competition diary

Events this month
65 Listings
Dance around the UK
74 The Last Dance
Butlin’s 18th Annual Dance Festival, plus: The Ball-Room Guide

On the cover: Vincent Simone and Louisa Lytton at the Eurovision Dance Contest. Photograph © Alain Douit (EBU).