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OREM — The Utah Valley University Ballroom Dance Company dazzled once again at the international Blackpool Dance Festival, winning its fifth world title.
The international championship was held May 21-29 in Blackpool, England, according to a UVU news release. The 30-member dance team won the British Ballroom Formation Championship and took third in the Latin Formation Dancing Championship.
“Words cannot express how proud I am of the company,” said UVU Ballroom Dance Tour Team director Paul Winkelman in the news release. “They have worked hard for months preparing for this event, which is the Olympics of ballroom dancing. The ballroom and Latin formation pieces they danced required a high level of technique as well as artistry because the couples must move with precision and unity, as if they were one.”
The Blackpool Dance Festival is arguably the world’s most prestigious international dance competition, Winkelman said. The nine-day competition attracts more than 20,000 competitors and spectators from more than 60 countries all over the world.
“The hard work and dedication of these dancers demonstrates a high level of individual excellence,” Winkelman said. “Formation dancing is difficult to master. It takes time, energy and dedication. I’ve watched these dancers work through fatigue and sickness, deal with frustration, develop problem-solving skills, and give more even when they felt like they had nothing left to give. These students are amazing individuals.”
Utah Valley University
The victory became the UVU Ballroom Dance Company’s fifth world title, placing it “in an elite category for collegiate dance teams,” according to the UVU website. The dance team also competed on the ABC show “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010, where it won the Mirror Ball trophy as the winners of the show’s first-ever collegiate competition.
In 2013, the dance team represented the U.S. at the ninth China International Folk Art Festival, the UVU website said.
