Having started out in a part-time job as secretary of publicity for Blackpool Tower EMI, the company that is now run by Leisure Parcs, Gillian MacKenzie took over as organiser of the Blackpool Dance Festival in 1981. After being the centre of this most famous dance festival for 24 years, which attracts the world’s best dancers year after year she is saying her goodbyes this year retiring. Her name, however, will go down in Ballroom history, which makes her proud.
Sylvia Boerner spoke to her about what is was like dedicatinga great part of her life to the Ballroom world and her plans for the future
Considering everything must be ‘for the last time’ this year, any time for melancholy?
“To be honest, I am far too busy to be sad, which is probably a good thing. It might hit me at the speeches at the end of the festival or even after it I think.”
What will you do with all the spare time?
"I think for a start, my garden does need sorting out. I haven’t really had time at all to look after it. The way it looks at the moment, I think I’ve even got two half dead tomato plants in the greenhouse. This is possibly the time to change that. There are also a couple of carnivorous plants that need looking after. Or, I might start doing a bit of French polishing. I’ve got quite a bit of antique furniture. I’m thinking particularly of a big, mahogany dining table, which I bought in 1964 for £20, and which I really like. It needs a bit of attention after seeing a lot of action with children and grandchildren (7 of them). Once even a kitchen cupboard got built on it, which resulted in some serious dents and I was never happy about that. Another option is definitely to continue languages. I had started learning German at night school. The problem was that through summer and autumn it would be all right, but once it got to about February I stopped going because my mind wasn’t relaxed enough and preoccupied with thinking about work and festival preparations. Now I will also have more time to spend time with my family. As my daughter lives up on the Orkney islands, it was always difficult to go. It is also quite expensive, so bearing in mind, you don’t get the same amount of money after retiring, I’ve been saving air miles on my Tesco shopping like mad.
So, was it a smooth ride, or can you remember any hiccups?
“No, not really. In all those years, the festival has never been cancelled. Only one year, a small incident occurred, when it rained into the ballroom. It was before the ballroom roof had been redone and the weather had been particularly bad. It was the south east corner of the Ballroom that saw some water dripping from above. Someone rushed to get a bucket, and shortly after the bucket was roped off, so couples simply had to dance around it. It was a rather funny sight. Another thing that amused me was when, five years ago, someone was knocking at the door leading to my office asking to speak to Gill MacKenzie, as people do all the time. One of the stewards or adjudicators who are constantly in and out as usual answered the door and came back to me to say a man was asking for the organiser. ‘Fine,’ I said, ‘I’m coming’ and went to see the gentleman. ‘Yes, can I help you?’ I said. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’m, waiting for the organiser.’ – ‘Well, actually I am the organiser, ‘ I replied. ‘You can’t be,’ was the answer. ‘And why can’t I be?’ I asked. ‘Because you are not a man.’ You can imagine I was a bit puzzled. I did eventually convince the American gentleman that I was the person he was looking for. It must be a thing to do with my name. He must have thought Gill is short for Gilbert or something like that.”
Any anecdotes that stick in your mind?
“It is difficult to remember all, but there were some extraordinary stories. When I had taken over the job, we had quite a big contingent of couples from Japan, Germany, France, Norway and America, but after the Berlin Wall came down and we first saw the influx of Eastern and Central European couples, that was amazing. Once, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, we had our first couple from Estonia for the Junior festival. As they couldn’t afford air fares, they were coming all the way in a small bus with their parents. They had calculated it would take five days to drive and had brought all their food with them to cook on the bus and alternating drivers to arrive on time. Unfortunately they were stopped and held up at some border and arrived two days late. Can you imagine their disappointment? A similar story is the one of two of Nina Hunt’s students, who was a renowned Latin adjudicator and trainer, who came all the way from Poland on a motorbike and the only luggage they had, was a little rucksack with their Latin costumes stuffed in it.”
Have things changed over the years?
“Well, for one, numbers have grown. Of course, some of that is due to the above mentioned change of climate in the East. There are far more entries nowadays than when I started. This year we had 1050 (112 British) amateur and 565 professional couples (25 British) from 54 countries. There are probably slightly fewer spectators, but there is hardly anything one can do about that as the Empress Ballroom is not laid out to accommodate a large audience. Generally speaking there haven’t been a lot of changes. I have continued what my predecessors have done keeping up The Blackpool Dance Festival’s traditions.”
Will you be watching next year?
“I’m more than happy to come, of course. When I did say that I’d like to have a ticket, I was looked at in amazement and disbelief. For me, it was obvious. Of course, I want to come. It was my job, and I’ve enjoyed it very much, but mainly, it was a major part in my life.
Gillian MacKenzie will be succeeded as organiser by Sandra Wilson, who has been working with and assisting her for the past 8 years.
