DISCO
From Sam's point of view...
I loved disco competitions because they gave me the freedom to dance, whatever made me feel good. No wonder it became known as freestyle dancing instead of disco!
I enjoyed success in the under 12 years old category, winning a lot of competitions.
When I turned 12, I thought, OK, I will be starting from the bottom again and I probably wouldn't win anything, as I was now in the under 16 years old category. I was dancing against teenagers! Plus, I was quite small for my age......Read More
When I turned 12, I thought, OK, I will be starting from the bottom again and I probably wouldn't win anything, as I was now in the under 16 years old category. I was dancing against teenagers! Plus, I was quite small for my age......Read More
In my first under 16 years old championship (Kent Championship), to my amazement, I came 2nd!!! One of my teachers told me, if I had held my head up (as I always used to look down when I danced) I would have won. From what my teacher had told me a light bulb went off for me. I realized the reason you looked up when you danced was because you were supposed to use your face and perform!!.....Read More
That gave me the motivation to choreograph a new disco routine that included kicks, jumps and fast turns that I took from my jazz classes and worked on my performance skills and practiced nearly every night for a year in preparation for the next Kent Championship.
A year later and it's the Kent Championship. I did my new routine, I got to the final and I couldn't believe it! I won!!! I was 13 years old and I had worked so hard for nearly a year to try to win this competition, that when I achieved my win I did something that was out of character for me, I cried. I was a tomboy only girls cry HA!.......Read More
A year later and it's the Kent Championship. I did my new routine, I got to the final and I couldn't believe it! I won!!! I was 13 years old and I had worked so hard for nearly a year to try to win this competition, that when I achieved my win I did something that was out of character for me, I cried. I was a tomboy only girls cry HA!.......Read More
I had been with Peggy's school since I was 10 years old, till 16 years old, there was a lot of history there. So when Len invited me to join his school, I was really surprised by the support by Len Goodman and everyone in his school.
I became their over 16 year old girl champion and they always cheered me on through my competitions and would let such a roar out whenever I won a competition for the school. By then I realized if I wanted to win every competition for my school, then I had to practice every week, as during the period of 12-16 years old I was inconsistent with my practicing. By the time I was doing 16-19 years old disco competitions I was winning nearly all of my competitions and if I didn't win it was a 2nd place......Read More
I became their over 16 year old girl champion and they always cheered me on through my competitions and would let such a roar out whenever I won a competition for the school. By then I realized if I wanted to win every competition for my school, then I had to practice every week, as during the period of 12-16 years old I was inconsistent with my practicing. By the time I was doing 16-19 years old disco competitions I was winning nearly all of my competitions and if I didn't win it was a 2nd place......Read More
At both schools, there was always a good feel of team work, always working for the school as a whole to do well in every category at competitions. Everyone supported everyone from single disco categories to team disco categories.