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National Ballroom Dance Championship

TriniView.com Reporters
Recorded: September 22, 2007
Posted: October 09, 2007


Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune 
Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune
 
The National Ballroom Dance Championship, organized by the National Ballroom Dance Association of Trinidad and Tobago, was held on Saturday 22nd September, 2007, at Bishops High School in Trincity. The theme of the event was "Dancing: A True Sport and Culture" and the fashionably dressed audience turned out in their numbers to experience this sport and culture.

At the start of the event, Minister Edward Hart, the outgoing Member of Parliament for the Tunapuna area, briefly spoke on "Dancing: A True Sport and Culture" and remarked that dancing is a world art that expresses a range of human emotions through movement, discipline and rhythm. Observing that how people dance reflects how they live, Minister Hart told the audience that he was looking forward to the skilful execution of the varied dance styles.

 Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling
 Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling
The evening featured seven couples competing for the opportunity to be crowned top dance couple by participating in three categories: Smooth Dances, Dance of Choice and Latin Dances. The couples in order of appearance were Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling, Carlton Boucher and Jennifer Boucher, Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle, Nicholson Lewis and Annette Ashby, Joseph Lewis and Liesel Norville, Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune and Keichour Gosine and Nicole Thomas.

Under the watchful eyes of the judges, who assessed artistic impression, technical merit and overall performance, the first couple, Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling, kicked-off the competition with a smooth and fluid dance performance to Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me".

Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle 
Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle
 
With all the couples dancing commendably, it would be the sixth-positioned couple, Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune, who took the competition standard a notch higher with a dazzling and exciting dance item. The well-executed acrobatic and athletic display by the pair drew rapturous applause from the audience. Their excellence would continue throughout the evening as the contestants progressed through the three dance segments.

The performances flowed smoothly as the couples each added their own style and flavour to the competition. In-between the performances, the Master of Ceremonies, Errol Fabien had the audience in stitches with his jokes and stories throughout the night.

When the results were announced, it was no surprise that Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune were announced as overall winners as their level of style and range of dance moves had commanded the attention of the audience throughout the competition. The husband and wife team of Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling, who performed consistently on the night, was adjudged first runner-up by the judges while Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle took the second runner-up position.

Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune receive the receive the National Ballroom Dance Championship Trophy
Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune receive the
National Ballroom Dance Championship Trophy

In other prizes awarded on the evening, Dance Championship winners Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune also walked away with the Best Dressed Prizes for the Dance of Choice and Latin Dance Categories while Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle were awarded the best dressed couple in the Smooth Dance Category. Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune treated the audience to a victory dance of the winning dance routine, again thrilling the audience with their bold moves.

Contestants exchanged partners and danced
Contestants exchanged partners and danced

After the results, the contestants exchanged partners and danced together on the ballroom floor, joined first by the executive members of the N.A.B.D.A.T.T., and then by other audience members. The whole ballroom floor was soon transformed into a sea of twirling couples, dancing to the smooth sounds of the band Louis and De Linx. The style, enthusiasm and the relatively young age of some of the dancers on the night indeed gave credence to the quote printed on the event programme that boldly declared: "Like life itself, dancing is evolving, shedding its old and anachronistic image, replacing it instead with vibrant life and athleticism. It is becoming a true sport, worthy to be incorporated within the great Olympic Movement."

Full Results:

1st / Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune

2nd / Steven Sterling and Avalon Williams-Sterling

3rd / Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle

4th / Keichour Gosine and Nicole Thomas

5th / Carlton and Jennifer Boucher

6th / Joseph Lewis and Liesel Norville

7th / Nicholson Lewis and Annette Ashby

Best Dressed Couple / Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune

Smooth Dance / Christopher Oliver and Alana Doyle

Dance of Choice / Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune

Latin Dance / Delano Mangaroo and Nicola Neptune

National Ballroom Dance Championship in pictures:
www.triniview.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=212454



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