Alex and Lisa

British National Championships is a very important competition for every dancer in the UK. It has become a tradition that BDF National Congress is taking place on Friday, during competition weekend. This year Alex&Lisa were priveleged to take part in this Congress as one of the lecturers. Overall title of the Congress was “INSPIRATION“. Some of the top professionals in this country and in the world shared their knowledge about this subject. John Wood, Stephen and Jenifer Hillier, Tony and Amanda Dokman, Michael Riley, Craig and Snezhana Draper, Neil and Katya Jones here are names of the lecturers. Great idea created by BDF, looking forward to next years Congress…

Saturday 9th June 2012 was a long day but what a successful one. A & L Dance Academy members started competing at 9am and finished at midnight with Us bringing home the Top Teacher Award for Juvenilles and Juniors for 2012 and Top Teacher Award for 2012 for children and adults. Well Done everyone. We were proud of you all…

The results were as follows:

Juvenille beginners ballroom
Tom Davies and Caitlin .heaseman – 3rd
Matt Townend and Ellen Cull – 4th

Juvenille open 4 dace ballroom
George Hedges and Maria Allen – 2nd

Junior Beginners ballroom
Sean Munroe and Lilyia Poole – 7th

Junior under 14s Ballroom
Sasha Ward and Inesa Bakanauakaite – 7th

Juvenille beginners Latin
Matthew Townend and Ellen Cull – 1st
Tom Davies and Caitlin Heaseman – 3rd

Juvenille open 4 dance
George Hedges and Maria Allen – 2nd

Junior Beginners Latin
Sean Munroe and Liliya Poole – 1st

Junior under 14s Latin
Egor Makerenko and Mae Mae Chan – 3rd
Sasha Ward and Inesa Bakaunaskaite – 8th
Kobe Malik and Manon Davies – 8th

Under 35 beginners Ballroom
Benjamin Lomax and Hannah Flower – 4th
Jake Verma and Emma Nottingham – 7th
Daniel Szabo and Fi Davey – 24th
Gareth Ward and Melissa Levitt – 22nd
Nick Reeve and Hannah Russell – 25th
Olli Woods and Vikki Chinchen – 31st
Chris Power and Hannah Desborough – 17th

Over 35 beginners ballroom
Ian and Suzanna Guerney – 28th

Under 35 pre championship ballroom
Craig Holes and Emma Norgate – 2 nd

Over 35 pre championship ballroom
Steve and Tina Holes – 3 rd

Under. 21 Ballroom
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 4th
Jordan Sahota and Georgia Blatch – 13th

Amateur ballroom Championship
Alex Robinson and Kirsty .sahota – 9th

Under 35 Beginner Latin
Daniel Szabo and Fi Davey – 6th
Jake Verma and Emma Nottingham – 12th
Chris Power and Hannah Desborough – 12th
Nick Reeve and and Hannah Russell – 18th
Gareth Ward and Melissa Levitt – 17th
Oliver Woods and Vikki Chinchen – 22nd

Under 35 Intermediate Latin
Benjamin Lomax and Hannah Moore – 6th

Under 35 Pre Champ Latin
Matthew Harmer and Louise Brown – 1st
Craig Holes and Emma Norgate – 9th

Amateur Latin
Alex Robinson and Kirsty Sahota – 9th

Under 21 youth Latin
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – 3rd
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 6th
Matthew Dean and Sohie Webb – 7th
Ernestis Deringis and Veronika Hardaeker – 8th
Jordan Sahota and Georgia Blatch 9th
Harrison Keep and Aimee Falvey 12th
Elliott Hyrycz and Alexandra Harradine – 15th
Callum Connolly and Justine Jarrold – 16th

Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved, two pupils of A&L Dance Academy wowed the judges on Britains Got Talent on Saturday 21st April 2012, achieving all Yes votes from the judges putting them through into the next round of this talent show! Kai and Natalia have been dancing since 2010, and train every week in A&L Dance Academy in Hedge End. They won Junior World Latin-Amercan Championships in Paris in 2010, and are climbing up the ranks in youth. All at A&L Dance Academy are very happy and proud of Kai and Natalia and will support them all the way! Good Luck guys!!!

2012 started off with a bang! The first competition of the year in the famous Winter Gardens Ballroom,Blackpool. Well done to all A & L Dance Team, we came away with some fabulous results!!

Oliver Chatwood and Jasmine Saunders – 2nd Place in the Juvenille 6 Dance
Oliver Beardmore and Maria Allen – 4th Place in the Juvenille 6 Dance
William Bannister and Sophie Smith – 1st Place in the Junior Under 14s Ballroom
William Bannister and Sophie Smith – 1st Place in the Junior Under 14s Latin
Sean Munroe and Liliya Poole – 3rd Place in the Junior Beginners Ballroom
Sean Munroe and Liliya Poole – 2nd Place in the Junior Beginners Latin
George Kennett and Grace Poole – Semi Finalist of Junior 10 Dance
David Cockram and Katie Geddes – 3rd Place in Junior 10 Dance
Kobe MAlik and KAtie Frances – 4th Place in Under 14s Latin
Sasha Ward and Inesa Bakanauskaite – 6th Place in Under 14s Latin
Craig Holes and Emma Norgate – 3rd Place in Under 35 Pre-Championship Ballroom
Craig Holes and Emma Norgate – 5th Place in Under 35 Pre-Championship Latin
Jordan Sahota and Georgia Blatch – Semi Finalist in Under 21 Ballroom and Latin Championship
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – 5th Place in Under 21 Latin Championship
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 5th Place in Under 21 Ballroom Championship
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 6th Place in Under 21 Latin Championship
Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved – 4th Place in Under 21 Latin CHampionship
Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved – 6th Place in Under 21 Ballroom Championship
Ernestis Deringis and Veronica Hardaeker – Semi Finalist in Under 21 Latin Championship
Matthew Dean and Sophie Webb – 7th Place in Under 21 Latin Championship
Matthew Dean and Sophie Webb – 7th Place in Under 21 Ballroom Championship
Elliott Hyrsz and Alexandra Harridine – Semi Finalist of Under 21 Latin Championship
Ian and Suzanna Guerney – Semi Finalist in Over 45 Beginners Ballroom
Daniel Szabo and Helen Greenhowe – 14th place in Under 35 Beginners Ballroom

Well Done to you all. See you at the next competition.Work Hard…

Alex and Lisa – Professional Latin Championships – 2nd Place (4th year running!)
Oliver Beardmore and Maria Allen – Under 12 Latin – 3rd Place, Ballroom 4th Place
Oliver Chatwood and Jasmine Saunders – Under 12 Ballroom – 2nd Place, Latin 4th Place
David Cockram and Katie Geddes – Junior Under 16 Latin – 5th Place, Ballroom 7th Place
Elliot Lyhgoe and Amy Hossin- Junior Under 16 Latin – Semi Finalist
Kobe Malik and Katie – Under 16 Latin – Top 23
Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved – Under 21 Latin – 4th Place
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – Under 21s Latin and Ballroom – Semi Finalists
Lawrence James and Aimie Leak – Under 21s Ballroom and Latin – Semi Finalists
Matthew Dean and Sophie Webb – Under 21s Latin – Top 17
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – Under 21s Latin – Top 17
Ernestis Deringis and Veronica Hardaeker – Under 21s Latin – Top 17
Elliott Herysz and Alex Harradine – Under 21s Latin – Top 20
Jordan Sahota and Georgia Blatch – Under 21s Ballroom – Top 24
HArry Keep and Katie Vickers – Under 21s Latin – Top 24
Callum Connolly and Justine Jarrold – Under 21s Latin – Top 26
Steve and Tina Holes – Over 50s Latin – 2nd Place

Summer 2011 started with a very pleasant news! AS usual A&L Team traveled to Brentwood near London to take part in Stars Of The Future 2011. This event is always run in June and is one of the biggest dance school events in the country. The results of all the couples accumulated and teacher who trains them achieves an award. We were very pleased and surprised when we received a Top Teacher Award (for juniors and juveniles)and very proud of all the couples who did well in this competition!!! Keep Dancing…

Despite this festival being very new, it is certainly becoming one of the most popular events to dance in! Right in the heart of Disneyland near Paris, top dancers from all over the world are competing to gain the world title. And the best thing about this competition it is totally open to everyone!
This year A&L Team have participated in this event and what a successful weekend we all had.
The results were:
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 7th Place in the Under 19 Worlds Ballroom Championship
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 12th Place in the Under 19 Disney Cup Latin Championship
Lawrence James and Aimie Leek 4th Place in the Under 21 Disney Cup Latin Championship
Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved 1st place in the Under 16 Worlds Latin Championship!
Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved 3rd place in the Under 16 Worlds Ballroom Championship
Alex and Lisa also competed this year in the Disney Cup Professional Latin Championships which was one of the World Ranking Events and they finished in 11th Place…

Great Results had by all. Well done everyone. We will certainly see Disney next year!

On saturday 8th January, the best of british dancing in all ages and categories made their way to the famous Winter Gardens Blackpool to compete fot title of Champions of Tomorrow. A&L Dance Team had a very successful day!!! The results are following:
William Bannister and Jasmine Saunders – Semifinal Juvenille beginners latin
George Kennett and Georgia Blatch – 3rd in Junior beginners latin
George Kennett and Georgia Blatch – 6th in Junior Beginners Ballroom
Oliver Beardmore and Maria Alen – finalists of Juvenille 6 dance competition
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 3rd in Junior 10 dance compettion
Jordan Sahota and Megan Chatwood – 5th in Junior 10 dance competition
Harrison Keep and Tabitha Law – finalists in Junior 10 dance competition
Sam Lougheed and Marisha Clarke – semifinalist in Junior 10 dance competition
Matthew Stoneham and Stephanie Noon – semi finalist in Junior 10 dance competition
Berny Dyke and Zoe Bigg – 4th in Under 35 Intermedaite Ballroom
Berny Dyke and Sarah – 4th in Under 35 Intermediate Latin
Vince Sieben and Louise Johnson – 5th in Under 35 Intermediate Latin
Alex Robinson and Kirsty Sahota – 3rd in Under 35 Pre Champ Ballroom
Alex Robinson and Kirsty Sahota – 7th in Under 35 Pre Champ Latin
Chris and Diana Crowhurst – 5th in Over 35 pre champ Latin
Alan and Treza Hammond – OVer 35 Intermediate Ballroom and LAtin
Ian and Suzanna Guerney – over 35 Beginners Ballroom
Ritchie Putt and Nikita Vince – semi finalist under 21 latin
Matthew dean and sophie Webb – semi finalist under 21 latin
Tabari salmon and sophie mccoy – 5th under 21 latin
Well done to everyone and thank you for having team spirit and cheering for everyone!
Keep working hard for the next competition.

On Saturday 2nd of October 2010 Alex and Lisa were hosting one of their traditional Training Days. This time it was mainly a Ballroom day, couples of A&L Dance Academy were thrilled by lectures taught by Robert Bellinger and special guest from London Stephen Hannah! Over 25 couples worked really hard for the whole day. We do hope everybody have benefited from this day and wish everybody succesful competitions in nearest future!!!

A&L Dance Academy is run and owned by Alex and Lisa Ivanets. Alex and Lisa are UK Professional Latin Americain Champions whom are representing England in the World and European Championships and all major dance events all over the world. They are also actively involved in doing shows, demonstrations, and choreographing for various TV shows, commercials and dance events.
A&L Dance Academy is their new project, it is aimed to promote and improve dancing in all forms. We are offering different styles and levels of dance for everybody under one roof. Our team of highly qualified teachers aim to teach social dancers in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, you can learn to dance for your wedding, a special occasion. we also offer master classes for competitors, those who want to take it a step further.
A new Academy’s website is coming out soon, in the meantime we will keep you updated with all the news…

A very long awaited competition Stars of the Future took part in Brentwood Leisure Centre on Saturday 12 of June. This event is one of the most popular competitions throughout the schools in Great Briatin. A and L Dance had a very strong presence at this event achieving very high results: Well done all A and L Dance Team for all your results from Robert, Linda, Alex and Lisa!!!
Juvenille Beginners Ballroom
Gerard Sami and Jasmine Saunders – 7th Place
Oliver Beardmore and Maria Allan – 8th Place
William Bannister and Jessica Casey – 16th Place
Junior Beginners Ballroom
George Kennett and Georgia Blatch – 20th Place
Junior Under 14s Ballroom
Jordan Maguire and Marisha Clarke – 5th Place
Junior Open Championship Ballroom
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold – 2nd Place
Jordan Sahota and Megan Chatwood – 9th Place
Harry Keep and Tabita Law – 11th Place
Under 35 Beginners Ballroom
Ross Mitchell and Emma Norgate – 1st Place
Martin Ball and Claire Finney – 9th Place
Over 35 Beginners Ballroom
Ian and Suzanna Guerney – 17th Place
Under 35 Intermediate Ballroom
Berny Dyke and Jo Stevens – 5th Place
Andy Nelson and Cheryl Davies – 18th Place
Over 35 Intermediate Championship
Alan and Treza Hammond – 13th Place
Under 35 Pre Amateur Championship
Alex Robinson and Ann-Marie Wait – 14th Place

On Sunday 25 of April 2010 all the best professional latin couples in Europe gathered in Moscow to compete for a title of European Champion. Russian Dance Union with its head Mr. Stanislav Popov really do a magnificent job in organasing dance championships, and this year was no exemption. Tournament was held in Crown Plaza Hotel right in the heart of Russian capital; superb lighting, live music, TV broadcasting and brilliant dancing all were part of this eveing. Alex and Lisa Ivanets were the only couple representing England this year and they reached prestigious Semi-Final round fourth year in a row, with Michael Malitowski and Joana Leunis of Poland winning it again!!! The competition will be shown on Eurosport channel around December 2010 just befor Christmas…

It was a very pleasant surprise for us to receive an invitation to take part in BBC’s new programme SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, the show has already taken USA by storm and its certainly becoming a massive hit in th UK. This time Alex was assisting Richard Marcel in choreographing and training Lizzie(one of the contestants) to perform Samba routine in the Final Live Show 2010! Due to Robbie’s injury whilst training Hip Hop, Lizzie have lost her dance partner for Samba and Alex was meant to dance with Lizzie in the Final Show, but it was not possible at the end as it was contradicting with Rules of the Show. Luckily Alistair(contestant of the show) who was voted out in the semifinal has agreed to step in last minute and perform Samba routine in the Final… It was a great show that has a huge future in the UK and we are very happy to be part of this amazing project!!!

On Thursday 3rd December couples of A & L Team travelled to the neighbouring Country France to take part in the Brand New Competition organised by Sammy Stopford and World Dance Council. The competition took place in the New York Hotel in heart of the Disney Land Resort near Paris and lasted over 3 days. Although it is a relatively new competition, it featured some very prestigous titles including the World Under 10s, under 12s, under 14s, under 16s, under 19s and under 21 years Championships and also the Professional Latin WDC World Ranking Event. Everybody enjoyed this weekend of dancing; not only was there some fantastic dancing but the panel of adjudicators consisted of over 30 World Champions – WOW!!

We are very proud to present you the results of all our couples whom took part in these events representing ENGLAND and want to congratulate them on their success:
Under 10s World Ballroom – Gerard Sami and Jasmine Saunders 7th Place in Final
Under 10s World LAtin – Gerard Sami and JAsmine Saunders 8th Place

Under 12s World Ballroom and Latin – Gerard Sami and Jasmine Saunders 13th Place
Under 16s Disney Cup Ballroom – Jordan Sahota and Megan Chatwood 6th Place in Final
Under 16s World Latin – Jordan Sahota and MEgan Chatwood 15th Place
Under 16s Disney Cup Ballroom – Kai Widdrington and Charlotte Sweeney 4th Place in Final

Under 16s World Ballroom – Kai Widdrington and Charlotte Sweeney 6th Place in Final
Under 16s World Latin – Kai Widdrington and Charlotte Sweeney 7th Place
Under 19s Disney Cup Ballroom – Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 6th Place in Final
Under 19s Disney Cup Latin – Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 7th Place
Under 19s World Ballroom – Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 9th Place
Under 19s World Latin – Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy 10th Place
Under 19s Disney Cup Ballroom – Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota – 7th Place
Under 19s Disney Cup Latin – Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota – 13th Place
Under 19s World Ballroom – Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota – 14th Place

On Saturday and Sunday 18–19 of July, Alex and Lisa were proud to host Squad Training featuring Former World Number 1 in Latin-America Dancing, Famous Exhibition Star Miss Hanna Kartunen. Hana trained couples of A&L Team for 2 days. She did group lectures alongside private lessons. Couples from all over the UK and Abroad attended this Workshop and really enjoyed it. You can see pictures from it in our Gallery…

On Saturday 27 of June The Grand Opening of Summer Mansiom 3 took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The organizer of this Celebration was Mr. Somchai – Great Ambassador of Dance in Thailand and loyal member of UKA (United Kingdom Alliance). Alex and Lisa alongside David Roberts and Graham Cookes of UKA were invited to take part in this event. Alex and Lisa presented their Latin-American Show this time in partnership with their Italan colleagues- World Amateur Ballroom Champions Paolo Bosco and Sylvia Pitton doing Ballroom Cabaret. Lovely evening enjoyed by Thai public…

We have received a very good news from Ireland. Stanislav Wakeham and Laura Nolan, couple of A&L Team, trained by Alex and Lisa, have become absolute Irish Champions in Youth age category in 2009. They won Youth Latin, Youth Ballroom and Youth 10 Dance Championships and will be representing Ireland at the World,and European Championships this year. Our Congratulations go to Stas & Laura and we wish them all the best for the Future!!!

Lakeside resort in Frimley Park in Surrey is not just a home for World Darts Championships, but is also a very popular location for international dance competitions. On Monday 4th of May British Association of Teachers of Dancing organised 2009 English Championships. Over last few years Alex & Lisa have become regular participants of this event and were lucky enough to win it 3 times as Amateurs and once as professionals. This year was no exemption Alex and Lisa became the English Open Professional Latin Champions of 2009 !!! Well Done

On Saturday 18 of April 2009 Alex & Lisa took part in the European Professional Latin American Championships representing England for the third consecutive year. Nearly 60 couples took part in this prestigious event which was fabulously organised by Team Aarhuus and their Manager Henrik Larsen. The dance competition was televised and broadcasted live on Danish Television including appearences of celebrities and stars of Danish version of popular Tv Show- Dancing With The Stars! Alex and Lisa reached the semifinals of this Championships, ending up ranked 10th in Europe!!!
For full results go to www.dancesportinfo.net

After the long 12 hour flight, Alex and Lisa arrived in Tokyo for the Asian Open Professional Latin Championship. This event is part of the World Series which gains couples the points for the World Ranking throughout the year.
This year Alex and Lisa finished in 15th position in Tokyo, and in 9th place in Osaka.
Over 100 couples started this prestigious competition.

On Sunday 15th February, couples of A and L Team have taken part in the competition organised by Mr Philip Wylie in the Thistle Hotel – Heathrow.
It was a very successful day for all the couples, the results are:
George Kennett and Georgia Plumbley – 2nd Juv Beg Ballroom, 1st in Novice, 2nd in 4 Dance and 1st in Open VW.
Gerrard Sami and Jasmine Saunders – 4th Juv Beg Ballroom, 5th in Novice, 1st in under 11s
George Kennett and Georgia Plumbley – 2nd Juv Beg Latin, 3rd in Novice, 2nd in 4 dance and 1st in Open Paso.
Gerrard Sami and Jasmine Saunders – 1st Juv Beg LAtin, 2nd in Novice, 1st in Under 11s.
Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty SAhota – 7th in EADA Youth NAtional Selection Competition in the final over 10 dances.
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – 4th in EADA Youth National Selection Competiton over 10 Dances
Stanislav Wakeham and Laura Nolan – 1st in EADA Youth NAtional Selection Competition over 10 Dances which qualifies them to represent England at the World Championships later in the year!
Well done to all the couples – you all did very well.

On Thursday 22 of January Alex&Lisa took part in United Kingdom Open to The World Championships. This competition has a very long history, organised by the Dance News Ltd, its know worldwide as one of the most prestigious competitions of the world. It also is a part of WDC World Series Events where couples collect ranking points for the world ranking. Over 220 couples from all over the world started competing from early hours of the morning, Alex&Lisa reached quaterfinals-top 24 couples, being ranked top british duet in this competition. Exact placing in this round will be known later.

On Saturday 10th January, Alex and Lisa were supporting their pupils at one of the biggest competitions of the year for English Dancing at all levels. Alex had the hard job of adjudicating this prestigious event. It started at the early hour of 8.55am with a very tight schedule of competitions. Johnathen Wilkins and Hazel Newbury were the cabaret for the day. The whole event finished at 23.30pm. A long successful day. The results a5thre as following:
George Kennett and Georgia Plumbley in Juvenille Beginners finished in the top 24.
Elliot Lythgoe & Katie Moorcroft in Juvenille 6 Dance – 4th Place
Jordan Sahota and Paige Mullen in Under 14s Latin finished in 5thPlace.
Kai Widdrington and Charlotte Plant – the top 9 of the Junior 10 Dance Event.
Miles Chapman and Lorna Arnold also in the 10 Dance – 4th Place
Tabari Salman and Sophie McCoy in 10 Dance – 3rd Place
Alex Robinson and Anne Marie Wyatt Under 35 Intermediate – 2nd Place
Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota Under 35 Pre Am – 5th Place
Alan and Treza Hammond – Over 35 Intermediate – 9th Place
Stanislav Wakeman and Laura Nolan – Under 21s Ballroom – 1st Place
Stanislav Wakeman and Laura Nolan – Under 21s Latin – 3rd Place
Danielle Cahill and Zoe Bray – All Ladies Latin and Ballroom – 3rd Place
Well Done to everyone. Good luck in your next competitions.

On Monday 3rd of November Alex and Lisa took part in Opening Ceremony of newly build Dance Studio in Seaford near Brighton. This wonderful evening was organised by Seaford Head Community College and its Head *Mrs Linton Golds. Local Oficials, MPs, Members of Parliament, Teachers and Students of Seaford Head gathered to watch Latin-American Cabaret by Alex&Lisa.
We wish Seaford’s new studio all the best for the Future!!!

On Saturday 28 of October Alex Ivanets travelled to Lyon to take part in Annual Training camp organised by South of France DanceSport Association. This Workshop took place in Fabuluos Sports Grounds in French Alpes Area used by Lyon Football Club, French National Rugby Team and many other sports. Alex was invited to do lectures on Latin-American Dancing alongside his Italian colleague Pietro Braga lecturing in Ballroom Style. There was also intense fitness preparation guided by French Former Champion Christopher Rey.

Many of French top competitors have attended this camp and enjoyed a succesfull weekend of Dancing. Good Luck in Future Competitions!!!

On Friday 26 of September Alex and Lisa traveled to South Korea to do a Demonstration for BDFI Korea Cup International Championship. This event took place in the capital city of Seoul and gathered crowds of audience in the Olimpic Stadium. The whole competition was very well organised by Mr. Kim Jong Moon -The head of BDFI Korea and his Team and had very high reviews of foreign guests, amongst whom were Mr. Nigel Tiffany -Executive Director of BDFI, and Mr. Frank Edwards -examiner of IDTA.
We wish this wonderful event all the best for the future!!!

On Sunday 27 of July – very hot summer day, couples of A&L Team gathered at Leigh Ballroom in Eastleigh for the following Training day organised by Alex and Lisa. This time it was not just Latin-American Day. Alex and Lisa were very proud to invite for lectures and private lessons one of UK,s leading and upcoming coaches Mr. Benoit Drolet. Benoit did a very interesting lecture on Ballroom Dancing presenting classical aspects of Ballroom Dances alongside some liberal views on the subject.

The whole day started with fitness session in the morning(done outside on the field), combined with elements of Ballet and Jazz – so useful for all the dancers and finished with Latin-American workshop taught by Alex&Lisa who concentrated on perfomance values this time.
Despite the holiday season the studio was absolutely full of couples. Keep up the good work!!!
The dates of next Training Days will be put on the website in the nearest future…

On Friday 11th July the UK Closed Championships started with the Juvenille and Junior and the Amateur 10 Dance Events where all the top couples from all over the UK came to take part. On the Saturday evening there was a dinner dance event where the entertainment for the evening was Ross Mitchell, his Band and Singers and of course the finals of the UK Closed Amateur Ballroom Championships and Professional Latin Championships. Alex and Lisa took part in this Championships and won for the 3rd consecutive year. A fantastic evening had by all. WEll done to the organisers. Full results can be seen on www.dancesportinfo.net

On Saturday 21st June 2008, Alex and Lisa and children of A&L Dance did a demonstration in the Arena at the West End Carnival. The Children presented a variety of dance styles that they have learnt in their dance classes and did their parents and Alex and Lisa very proud. The display started with the Uni-ted Club (3–7years) of West End Branch followed by the Netley Street Group, Then came the West End Ballroom and Latin Class and the show finished off with the Eastleigh Branch Advanced Street. A day of fun for both children and their parents. Well done everybody.

Royal Albert Hall is a magnificent venue situated right in the heart of London. It is famous throughout the world for the exhibitions and shows that take place there. On Monday 16 of June an unusual perfomance took place in this theatre. Summertime- is a Showcase organised by English National Ballet , Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and Royal Albert Hall itself, it includes 10 schools from London area presenting different dance routines in different dance styles. Every school had a Professional Dance Artist allocated to it, to choreograph a dance in their particular style alongside choreographers from English National Ballet to work on the Finale which was danced by all 200 children to famous Gershwin’s piece of music- Rapsody in Blue.

Line up of Dance Artists included the best professionals in their field in our country, Richard Marcel-Salsa, Famous Clara Bajado- World Hip-Hop Champion… Alex&Lisa were very priveliged to be asked by ISTD to choreograph Latin-American piece for this show. Children from Holland Park School had only had 20 hours of tuition and managed to learn very intricate routne featuring Rumba and Cha-Cha. Very big thank you goes to their dance teacher Mr. Simon Dobson for all the hard work he put in training kids alongside Alex&Lisa. Everything went fabuluous on the day, 200 children performed to the full house(5000 people) including their parents, teachers, and invited guests. This night will be night to remember for many of those youngsters, and who knows, we might see some of them performing on the same stage but in different role one day…

Brentwood Leisure Centre is a very popular venue used by many Dance Promoters to run their competitions. One of the most popular events of the year is Stars of the Future Competition run by Nigel Horrocks. This wonderful event enables couples of a different level to compete agains each other in front of their teachers and adjudicators. This Year first round of competition started at 9.15 and finished at midnight, which shows how popular Ballroom Dancing is in the UK now. Alex&Lisa were their too, watching and supporting all couples trained by them and Linda&Robert Bellinger. This year number of our couples entering Stars has grown and they all did really well! Well Done to everybody!!!

U14 Junior Ballroom – Kai widdrington and Charlotte Plant finished in 5th Place.
U335 Beg Ballroom – Bernie and Zoe finished in 1st Place.

U35 Intermediate Ballroom – Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota finished in 1st Place.

Matt Harmer and Lys Soon – finished in the semi final

Ed and Katrina Rogers – finished in 6th Place.
Over 35 Intermediate- Alan and Treza Hammond-Semi Final

Juv 4 dance Latin – Alex Plant and Faye Edge – 1st Place
Junior all girls Latin – Zoe Bray and Danielle Cahill – 13h Place

Junior under 14s Latin :
Kai and Charlotte – 5th
Elliot and Paige – Semi Final
Jordan and Deanna – Semi Final

Junior Open Latin 5 Dance – Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – 1st Place
All Ladies Latin Americain
Annah and Close Schielder – Semi Finalists

U35 Beginners Latin – Bernie and Zoe-Semifinal
U35 Intermediate Latin :
Lewis and Kirsty – 2nd Place
Ed and Katrine – Top 24
Matt and Lys – Top 12
Andrew and Becky Moody – Top 24
O35 Intermediate – Alan&Treza Hammond- Semi Finalists
U35 Pre Champ – Sturat and Helen – one recall.
Under 21s Ballroom Championships
Slava Klimkin and Nikita Vince – 8th Place

Under 21a Latin Championships
Slava Klimkin and Nikita Vince – 7th Place
All Ladies event in Latin and Ballroom
Chloe and Hannah – Semi Finalists

Another year has gone by and all the best dancers from the most remote Countries in the World made their way to the capital of Ballroom Dancing – Blackpool!.
Please read the full article from this event at the bottom of the page.

On Monday 5th of May 2008 Alex and Lisa took part in the English Open To The World championships, in Lakeside, Frimley Park, a well known resort(home to the world of darts!). Although it was not a huge turnout in entries, the standard of couples was very high. Alex and Lisa were very proud to win this title, beating some strong rivals in this final, especially the Russian National Champions and Chinese and Slovenian Champions. To see the full results of this competition please go to www.dancesportinfo.net. Great start for British Open Championships in Blackpool in a few weeks time.

On Sunday 27 of April Alex and Lisa took part in the Official European Professional Latin Championships held in Moscow, Russia. This competition was held in the Prestigious World Trade Center right by the bank of river Moscow. 50 dance duets took part in this tournament (2 best couples from each country in Europe) and created spectacular showcase for Moscow’s audience. Alex and Lisa have reached the Semi-final round of this event(top 14) and finished the top rancked british couple. This fabuluos evening was televised by Eurosport TV chanel, and will be broadcasted worldwide in December. We will publish the date in the nearest future…

On Tuesday 25th March, Alex and Lisa travelled to Blackpool from London Heathrow Airport where they had returned from Hong Kong. This year they were privelaged to be chosen to be Team Captains of Team Great Britain for junior dancers(12–15years). This competition has a long standing tradition in the history of dance and it was very emotional especially for Lisa to take part in this role as she was part of the British team when they won back in 1996.
The members of this years team were: George Bowyer and Charlotte Sweeney, Sydney Chong and Danielle representing the Ballroom section, John Gianninni and Stevie Jones and Lawrence James and Zoe Stacey representing Latin. They all danced extremely well and made Britain proud by finishing 5th. Well done to you all. Thw whole competition lasted s week, with some great dancing shown by youngsters from all over the World. Look forward to next years event.

On Saturday 22 of February Alex and Lisa begun their trip to Japan to take part in 2008 Asian Tour. This year the tour consisted of 6 competitions and is spread all over the Asia. First 2 events are traditonally held in Japan: Asian Open Tournament in Tokyo*(part of *WDC world ranking events) and JDC International competition in Nagoya.
Over 110 couples danced in Fabulous Budokan Hall in Tokyo including all top 24 World ranked couples, Alex&Lisa finished in 15 place missing semifinal just by few marks!
In Nagoya Alex&Lisa reached Grand Final and finished in prestigious 2nd place!!!
Congratulations for Japan and Good Luck in your next event in Hong-Kong!!!

On Sunday 20th of January 2008 Alex and Lisa took part in the Universal Championships. This annual competition was held at Frimley Park, Lakeside and organised by Former World Champions Michael Stylianos and Lorna Lee. Over 60 couples from all over the world took part in Professional Latin event and after 5 rounds of competition Alex and Lisa managed to win this prestigious title. Runners-up in this strong final were couple from Ukraine, third China, fourth Slovenia, fifth China and sixth couple from Hong-Kong…For full results go to www.thebestcomps.net
Really good start for 2008! Keep it up!

On Saturday 1st of December Alex and Lisa have made their trip to Sheveningen in Holland to represent England in World South American Showdance Championships 2007. This event was taking place in Fabulous Kurhaus (5-star hotel near Hague). 28 couples from all over the world entered this competition. Alex and Lisa finished in prestigious 8th place just outside 7 couple Final! (missing final just by 2 marks) .They performed their Gladiator routine. This competition was televised and it will be shown on Dutch RTL 4 chanell on December th 30th 2007…

On Sunday 18th of November BDF organised 2007 Professional Ballroom Championships which took place in Famous Wintergardens in Blackpool. This year Alex and Lisa were priveliged to choreograph The Opening Ceremony for this prestigious event in the world of dance. The rehearsals started summer time 2007 and 30 minutes Show routine included UK’s top Amateur, Youth, Junior and Juvenile couples… This show is a complete mixture of styles: Jazz, Flamenco number, Juvenile Jive, Argentine Tango, Cha-Cha are some of the styles included in this showcase. The Opening ceremony was very well received by audience( 5000 people)!!! Well Done to all the dancers, You did England proud!!!
The video of this show will be launched in our video gallery soon…

On Wednesday 14th of November Alex and Lisa were travelling to Blackpool to take part in the most important competition of the Year. British National Championships. This year it was a very long weekend for Alex and Lisa as they were dancing three days!

On Thursday they took part in British South American Showdance Championships and finished in 1st Place, which gives them right to represent England at the World Championships next year. On Friday Alex and Lisa danced in Professional Latin event, and finished in prestigious 3rd place! There were a lot of surprises on the night as Former World Champion Paul Kilick returned to the floor with his new partner and finished 2nd!!! At the same time The winner of this event Paul Richardson and Olga Rodionova retired from competetive career, which moves Alex and Lisa into the 2nd spot in the country!!!

On Wednesday 24th October 2007 20 couples of our top UK Competitors participated in the Squad Training organised by Alex and Lisa. This time it was a record amount of couples entering the day! All the partipants worked very hard throughout the day, they were given lectures by Alex and Lisa on Jazz in the morning and latin Americain Advanced Choreography with elements of presentation skills in the early afternoon. After lunch they were treated to a Ballroom lecture by Mr Robert Bellinger.

And to finish off the day all the couples were given a Master Class Lecture by our Special Guest Former World Professional Latin Finalist Miss Carol Macraild. A&L Team wishes all the couples success in the forthcoming events especially the British National Championships in November at Blackpool!!!

On Thursday 11th October 2007 Alex and Lisa took part in one of the most prestigious competitions of the year ‘INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL LATIN CHAMPIONSHIPS’ that took place at the Royal Albert Hall in the heart of London. 146 Couples from all over the World took part in this event, Alex and Lisa made the quarter final round (top 24) of this competition being ranked 2nd British Couple in this event. The exact placings of this event will be released in the nearest future. Well Done!

After a week of training in Holland prior to International Championships Alex and Lisa returned to Folkstone to perform their cabaret to Joyce Welfords School of Dance. The show was well appreciated by the audience both children in the afternoon and adults in the evening.

From there Alex and Lisa flew to Newcastle where they spent the whole day on Sunday 7th October 2007 first lecturing for local professionals and competitors and in the evening perfoming at the Gala Ball for the IDTAs Tyne Tees Area Annual Dance. It was great to see such enthusiasm amongst the young generation towards dance. How promising it looks for England in the future!

On Sunday 16th September 2007 a group of dancers trained by Alex and Lisa and Robert and Linda Bellinger went to take part in the competiton held at Leatherhead Leisure Centre. It was a very successful day for all the couples that particpated. They all showed competitive spirit with great team work and used this comp to prepare for the major events in the nearest future. Well done to Lewis Handley Greaves and Kirsty Sahota(their first competiton together! finishing 1st) Kai Widdrington and Zoe Handley Greaves(2nd), Jordan Sahota and Deanna Cox (1st), Michael and Kerry Hildyard (2nd), Anthony and Becky Dibble (2nd), Alan and Treza (6th), Well done to you all, good luck in the future events… A fabulous day had by all.

On Wednesday 8th August Alex and Lisa demonstrated at the Piccadilly Hotel in sunny Bournemouth. This fabulous evening was organised by former Latin Champions John Byrnes and Jane Littleton and was part of a 5 day dancing holiday with workshops taught by John and Jayne during the day. A lovely evening enjoyed by all….

After a long tedious journey and a 10 hour delay Alex and Lisa arrived in Kiev ready for the European Professional Latin Championships that was held on Sunday July 22nd. They finished in a fantastic 8th place!!!
It was a very well organised event. Alex and Lisa wish to thank their many supporters that came to watch them…
see Gallery fore more photos

On Saturday 4th of August a group of Young dancers gathered at Leigh Ballroom in Eastleigh to take part in Rehearsals for a very special Showcase. This Dance will be part of the Opening Ceremony for the 2007 World Professional Ballroom Championships being held in the Famous Wintergardens ,Blackpool which is traditionally organised by Ballroom Dancers Federation every second year and this year Alex and Lisa have taken the responsibility of choreographing the Opening Ceremony. It will be a 25 minute Performance including a variety of Styles(from Jazz to Flamenco) danced by some of the top British competitors(from Juveniles to Amateurs)...

The Uk Closed Championships were held over 3 days. Here are the results for Alex and Lisa’s couples:
Bournemouth Masters Junior Latin – Lawrence James and Zoe Stacey 2nd
Armand and Marit 6th
United Kingdom Closed Junior Latin Championships – Lawrence and Zoe – 2nd
Tabari Salmon and Sophie McCoy – 13th
Aarron Feeney and Jessica Padmore – 18th
Bournemouth Masters Juvenille Ballroom Championships – Jordan Sahota and Deanna Cox – 6th
Bournemouth Masters Juvenille LAtin Championship – Jordan and Deanna – 6th
Elliot Murrey Flint – 8th Place
Uk Closed Juvenille Ballroom Championship – Jordan and Deanna – 5th
Uk Closed Juvenille Latin CHampionship – Jordan and Deanna – 5th
Elliot – 6th
Uk Closed Under 21 Latin Championship – David Ellis and Danielle Grover – 9th
Lee McGowan and Charlotte Short- 21st
Uk Closed Amateur Latin CHampionship – David and Danielle – 28th
Lee and Charlotte – 37th
Bournemouth Masters SEnior Latin CHampionship – Steve and Tina Holes – 6th
Uk Closed Senior Latin Championship – Steve and Tina – Semi
United Kindom Closed Prechamp Ballroom
Lee McGowan and Charlotte Short – 4th
Andrew and REbecca Moody – Semi
Anthony and Rebecca Dibble – Semi

On Friday 13th July 2007, Alex and Lisa defended their title of the United Kingdom Closed Professional Latin Championship and became the winners of this event for the second time. It was good timing for Alex and Lisa as this competition was a week before the European Championships in Kiev, Ukraine where Alex and Lisa will be going and representing England. The photos from this events will follow soon.

On Monday 2nd of July Alex and Lisa were very proud to take part in the 2007 IDTA Annual Congress held in the Floral Hall, Southport. In the daytime there were numerous lectures on all types of dance, Alex and Lisa presented a lecture on Jive, showing an advanced variation. In the evening a Dinner Dance was hosted where all the Professionals enjoyed a cabaret starring Alex and Lisa, Domenico Soale and Gioia Cerasoli*(World PRofessional Standard Finalists), *Students from Phil Winstons Theatre Works and Ballet choreographed by Neil Westmoreland.
To top up this wonderful line up was the live music of Todd Miller and the Jo Loss Orchestra.

On Saturday 23rd June Alex and Lisa demonstrated a 5 Dance Latin Americain Show for Oakhurst School at their Annual Fund Raising Dinner Dance which took place at Surrey Downs Golf Club in Kingswood. It was a very well organised and supported event of which all the profits will be donated to the Marie Curies Cancer Charity. A Big Thank you goes to Marion Welsh*(a fabulous and former champion of Ballroom Dancing)for organising the entertainment for the night. The Latin Show was followed by a live band *‘The Reservoir Dogs’. A great night enjoyed by all.

On Tuesday and Wednesday 5th and 6th of June Alex and Lisa took part in a recording for The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing of a DVD that shows all the Jive syllabus steps that are written in the technique book. This DVD will be available to buy alongside the book and will show to audiences all the dance figures to a slow count with an explaination by one of the leading technicians in Dance Business – Mrs Lorna Lee. Alex and Lisa were very proud to be part of this production as they were the only British Couple to be involved alongside some of the Worlds Best Competitors: Peter Stokebroe and Kristina Stokebroe, Sergey Surkov and Melia, Maurizio Veskovo and Melinda Tokovygory, Andrius Kandelis and Egle Kandelis performing one of the other 4 Latin Americain dances.

On Saturday 19th May Alex and Lisa competed in The Imperial Professional Latin Championship held at Lakeside in Frimley. They successfully made the Grande Final of this Competition and finished in 7th Place being the highest ranked British couple of this event. Over 70 couples took part in this prestigious competition.

On Sunday 13th May Alex and Lisa lectured for the Southern Area IDTA Congress that took place in the Lyndhurst Park Hotel in the beautiful area of the New Forest. They taught participants two routines in Rumba and Jive that teachers could take away with them to their own studios. The whole day was completed with a Dinner Dance in the evening where Alex and Lisa starred in the cabaret performance showing 5 Latin Americain Dances to an audience of around 130 guests. The evening was enjoyed by all. Well done IDTA!

On the 28th of April Alex and Lisa were delighted to attend Annual Dinner&Gala Evening organised by Northern Dance Club in Aberdeen, Scotland. This year was a very special year to the Club as they celebrate their 60th Anniversary. This fabuluous event was held in the historical Beach Ballroom with live music of Ross Mitchell Band and double Cabaret by Alex and Lisa in Latin, Chris Short and Dominika Choroszko in Ballroom audience was dancing their way till early hours of the morning. As always this evening was very well supported, with a regular members of the club and special guests invited (The Lord & Lady Provost of Aberdeen) there was a total sellout of the tickets! Once again Well Done to the Organisers, Aberdeen should be proud of You!!!

On the very hot Saturday afternoon of 14th April, Alex and Lisa started their trip to the village of Llanharan,Wales. They perfomed a 4 dance latin show and Argentine Tango routine to the audience of First Class Dance Studio. This fabulous event was organised by Duncan Smart (an IDTA member)and he must be congratulated for doing a marvellous job as the party was a total sellout. We hope the tradition of this event will continue and wish all the success to Duncan and his studio!

On Friday 6th of April Alex and Lisa attended Opening of Summer Mansion Grand Hall Celebrations in Bangkok(Thailand). The whole event was organised by Mr. Shomchai and he trully did an amazing job firstly by meeting all invited guests at the airport himself, then organising a wonderful tour by boat of Bangkok and three evenings of celebrations. The main evening of celebrations included a cabaret by Alex and Lisa doing a Latin Show and Christian and Barbara from Italy doing a Ballroom one. Both were enjoyed by all the special guests from all over the World including Hong Kong, Canada, USA and Honolulu to name a few. On the final day Alex and Lisa assisted Mr Paul Beeton in a 2 hour lecture on Cha Cha, Samba and Pasodoble choreography for the audience which ended with a presentation of a basic rumba by Alex and Lisa which brought the house down. A wonderful organised event enjoyed by everybody! A big Thank you goes to Mr Shomchai for all his effort in making such a successful celebration. Photos from this event can be found in the photo gallery under events.

After a long day of 18 hours travelling due to strikes in Italy Alex and Lisa eventually arrived in Sardinia via Rome on Tuesday 13th March alongside Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, Gino from Ready Steady Cook, Jilly Goolden -famous wine expert, and Dj Treveor Nelson to name a few names. The wonderful few days was enjoyed by 1200 employees of a well knownn high street bank. During the day Alex and Lisa had two 2 hour sessions assisting teaching the employees how to dance the Salsa and the Jive. In the evening,they enjoyed a reception drink with the employees, then dinner topped with a fantastic show by the the Sugababes. All the entertainment for this event was booked by Jillie Bushell Associates www.jilliebushell.com .Absolutely brilliant time had by all. IF you want to see photos from this event please look in the gallery section under Shows and Events.

ALex and Lisa wish to congratulate all their couples whom participated in the South of England Championships held at REading on Sunday 18th March 2007. They thought you all danced very well.
THe results were as follows:
Juvenille Beginners Ballroom and Latin – Kai and Zoe 3rd Place
Juvenille Open 4 dance Ballroom and Latin – Jordan and Deanna 5th Place
Junior Open Latin Championships – Staz and Julia 1st Place
Elliott and Zoe 4th Place
Senior Latin Championships – Steve and Tina 5th Place
Youth Latin – David and Dani – 3rd Place
Under 15s Latin – Tabari and Sophie 5th Place
Amateur Latin Championship – Andres and Liis 6th Place
David and Dani Semi Final
Pre Championship Latin – Matt and Lys Semi Final
Keep up the good work and they wish all the Juvenille and Junior couples all the luck in the world for the forthcoming Open British Championships held at Blackpool in the Easter Holidays.

On Saturday 3rd of March Alex and Lisa were invited to take part in Training Day organised by EADA for Junior and Juvenile couples. Invited couples from all over the country took part in lectures on Latin-American dancing and they also enjoed morning session of Aerobics.
It was a great pleasure and joy to watch young competitors listening to valuable tips given by Alex and Lisa and trying to improve their dancing. We hope this succesful event will continue and all the couples will do better!!! Big THANK YOU goes to Manuel Silva for helping to organise this Day on behalf of EADA…
(see more photos in Gallery)

On Sunday 4th February 2007 Alex and Lisa have participated in the Annual I.D.T.A Congress. This congress was held right in the heart of London in the Royal Lancaster hotel. It was a long day that started with a variety of lectures in all forms of dance and finished with a luxurious Dinner Dance with the presentation of Carl Alan Awards (Oscars of the Dancing World!).
This year Alex and Lisa had taken an active part in the lecture day. Firstly, they were presenting the Jive Choreography in the lecture given by Linda Bellinger, and in the afternoon Alex partnered the former World Champion Miss Denise Weavers in her lecture on Paso Doble and Rumba. These lectures were videoed and the dvd will be available to buy at a future date.

On Friday 19th January Alex and Lisa demonstrated at the Universal Dinner and Dance evening at the luxurious Copthorne Park Hotel near Gatwick. This evening was hosted by Michael Stylianos and Lorna Lee – Former World Professional Latin Champions whom have invited 20 top couples from all over the world to demonstrate for their audience. The venue was absolutely packed second year in a row with many of the top professionals, celebrities and dance fans and enthusiasts in the audience. They all enjoyed a four course meal followed by live music from the Jo Loss Orchestra and the finale being a two hour show by the invited couples. A fantastic and successful night of dancing enjoyed by all. Well Done Mick and Lorna!!!! See Gallery for some photos.

On Saturday 6th January, couples from the Leigh Ballroom trained by Robert/Linda Bellinger and Alex/Lisa Ivanets took part in Champions of Tomorrow held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. IT was very successful day all round. Here are the following results of our couples:
Junior 10 Dance: Stanislav Wakeman and Julia – 2nd Place in the Final!
Juvenille 6 Dance: Jordan Sahota and Deanna Cox – 4th Place in the Final!
Juv Beginners Ballroom: Kai Widrington and Zoe Handley Greaves – 5th Place in the final!
Juv Beginners Latin: Kai Widrington and Zoe HAndley Greaves – 3rd Place in the final!
Youth Ballroom and Latin: David Ellis and Danielle Grover – 13th Place in the Semifinal in both Ballroom and Latin!
U35 Pre-Champ Ballroom: Lee McGowan and Kirsty Sahota – 4th Place in the final!
U35 Pre-Champ Latin: Lee McGowan and Kirsty Sahota – 3rd Place in the Final!
Junior Beginners Ballroom: Lewis HAndley Greaves and Zoe Bray – Semi Final

Junior Beginners Latin: Lewis HAndley Greaves and Zoe Bray – Semi Final

U35 Pre-Champ Ballroom and Latin: Stuart Middleton and Helen Lamb – Semi finals

Well done to all the couples. Congratulations.

On the first day of a new year- 2007, Alex and Lisa made their way to the Capital of Estonia – Tallinn. This was a very important week for the members of one of the biggest dance clubs in the Country – Team Leevi, as on Sunday 7th January, all couples were taking part in the National Latin Americain championships. All the couples worked and trained very hard over those couple f days preparing for this very important competiton. Here are some of the results:
Youth Latin:

5th Place and in the final! – Andres End and Liis End
7th Place and next into the final! – Jan Hamburg and Maria Soone
15th Place – Kasper Sallo and Kristine Volt
17th Place – Fillipp Sabanov and Epp Maekur
Junior I:

3rd Place and in the final! – Armand Fazullin and Marit Mets
7th Place and next into the final! – Mait Roomus and Maria Abel
Junior II:

15th Place and next into semi Final! – Argo Oblikas and Gerli Vinkel
17th Place – Tanel Trunin and Regina Rahn
Amateur Latin:

14th Place and next into semi Final! – Rauno Verbitskas and Karin Lillemaa
20th Place – Risto Kukk and Maria Kuusmaa
28th Place – Avak Manvelov and Gerda – Ulla Saul

Alex and Lisa congratulate all the couples for their results – Well Done, be proud of yourselves and Keep up the good work.

Alex and Lisa are delighted to announce that they have become members of the United Kingdom Alliance. They have passed their Associate exam in the Ballroom field on Thursday the 16th of November in Blackpool. Also back in June this year Alex and Lisa had joined the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) and had passed their Associate exam in the Latin field. They are now fully qualified in both styles to be able to adjudicate in competitions.

Christmas time is always a busy period for shows, and this year was no exception for Alex and Lisa. Having danced all over the Country in previous weeks, this week Alex and Lisa were dancing a little bit closer to home in Bournemouth Town at the Pavillion Theatre. This was a Christmas Party for the MoJive Group – local leader in mojive dancing. Tho organisers brother and sister duo Phil and Elaine did a tremendous job as there were 500 people enjoying the show and dancing themselves till the early hours of the morning. Great Fun!!!

On Saturday 16th December Alex and Lisa made their way from Telford to PAignton in Devon to do a Demonstration for Rob and Pauline Mason at their Christmas Ball. This was another very successful evening with example of superb organisation by local professional couple that run their danceworks project. The audience were very excited and appreciative and gave up their night of watching Strictly Come Dancing (semi final round) to be at this event – Thank you….

On Friday 15th December 2006, Alex and Lisa travelled to Telford to demonstrate at the ‘Black and Red’ Christmas Ball *hosted by the young Professional couple *Donald and Melanie Young. This event was held in the National Sports Centre near Telford and gathered 150 people including some special guests: Major of Telford, Robin and Rita Short and John and Joan Knight. The evening was a great success and superbly organised by Donald and Melanie – Well Done! Roll on Next Year!!

The day after the National Championships in Blackpool Alex and Lisa flew to Beijing, China to demonstrate at the Beijing International Dancesport Competition organised by Mr Philip Li. They did a joint demonstration with one of top British Amateur Ballroom Duets Mark and Olga Elsbury. Photos to follow in the nearest future from this event.

On Friday the 17th November 2006 Alex and Lisa participated in one of the major championships of the year British National Professional Latin Americain Championships which took place in the famous Winter Gardens, Blackpool. After a very intense competition Alex and Lisa finished 4th overall in the Grand Final. It was a very close fought event with the marks spread between all the couples. ALex and Lisa unfortunately just missed out on 3rd position by beating the couple that finished 3rd in two dances out of five. This competition was their first National Championships so a good start for their professional career!!

On Wednesday 25th October Alex and Lisa in partnership with Martin and Carol Cutler did a whole day of intense Squad Training at the Leigh Ballroom, Eastleigh for their pupils which started at 11am until 6pm. This training included fitness preparation, elements of jazz, and workshops on Ballroom and Latin. The aim of the day was to strengthn and encourage our couples and prepare them for the forthcoming competitions in particular the National Championships in Blackpool in November. The next training day will be taking place in Birmingham on Friday 27th November 2006.(for photos see Gallery)

On Wednesday 27th September 2006 Alex and Lisa took part in the very prestigious Press conference launching the NEW FORD MONDEO at the Paris Motor Show 2006. The event was held in the Pershing Hall ,the exclusive 5 star hotel in the centre of Paris. Alex and Lisa choreographed the Argentine Tango Routine and were dancing alongside Joshua and Annalisa,**Nuno and Kerryanne and Accursio and Charlotte to the live sound of the best British Tango Band TANGO SIEMPE. This fantastic event was full of highlights and one of them was the appearance of the new BOND GIRL starring in the forthcoming James Bond movie Casino Royale. A fantastic trip, a day to remember!

For more photos see our Gallery.

On Saturday 23rd September, Channel Counties held a dance competition in The Pavillion in Bournemouth. Many of the couples trained by Alex and Lisa competed, but the most successful event was the EADA Junior National 10 Dance selection competition, 4 out of the 6 finalists are trained by Alex and Lisa. They are: 1st Stanislav and Jasmine, 3rd Elliott and Zoe, 5th David and Danielle and 6th Lawrence and Hannah.

*Congratulations to you all!!!*

Weekend of 2nd and 3rd of September seemed to be a lecture weekend for Alex and Lisa. On Saturday Alex lectured for Senior Squad Training of English Amateur Dancesport Association. He shared his knowledge on subject of Presentation and Characterisation of Latin American dances. On Sunday Lisa was lecturing for The National Association of Teachers of Dancing at their Annual Congress at Thistle Hotel, London Heathrow. The subject of her lecture was Choreography in Cha-cha and Jive. It was a special day as this year National selebrates 100 Years !!!

After a great time in Aberdeen last year, Alex and Lisa were invited once again to do a demonstration. This year was a little different. The event was organised by two couples – Elaine and George and Audrey and Alex, the event was a fund raiser for the stolen cd collection of the great George who plays the music for all dancing events in Aberdeen area. There were many highlights of the trip, firstly the visit to the ancient ‘Kildrummy Castle‘, then a surprise showcase by the members of the local dancing community which was well prepared and very comical in some places, and Finally… a farewell party organised by Alex and Audrey. A fantastic trip and great hospitality – Alex and Lisa would definately go again(there will be more details and pictures in our new headlines soon…)

On Saturday 8th of July Alex and Lisa have become UK CLOSED PROFESSIONAL LATIN AMERICAN CHAMPIONS !!! Congratulations!!! Well Done!!!They won all five dances in front of huge crowd of spectators at the DPA Dinner and Dance at Bournemouth Pavilion

On Sunday 6th August 2006, Alex and Lisa took their Street Pupils to take part in the Summer Street Dance Competition at Hilsea, Portsmouth. It was a very successful day for all our pupils as they all made the finals in their age categories and our team called The ‘A’ Crew came away with the first place in Under 16 years Old. The results were the following: Solos – Under 12s Zoe HAndley – Greaves 1st, Jordan Sahota 3rd and ARianne Byers 5th. Under 14s Brooke Herrod 2nd, Under 16s Lewis Handley – Greaves 3rd, Saffron Byers 4th, and Kirsty SAhota 5th. Pairs – Zoe and Lewis 2nd, Saffron and Arianne 3rd and Brooke and Jordan 6th. Well done to you all!

On Saturday 5th August 2006, Alex and Lisa took part at Eadas workshop for Novice, Intermediate and Pre-Champ dancers. They did a two hour lecture and shared their experience and knowledge to the couples specifically on the subject of ‘Presentation’. We think giving a squad training to all the grades (not only the top!) is an excellent idea and we hope there will be many more in the future. Definately a big thank you should go to Martyn and Tracey King for the work they put into organising this event.

On Thursdy 3rd of August, Alex and Lisa and all their couples had the opportunity to have a day of dance tuition with one of the legends of the Latin Americain world – Mr Michael Stylianos. All the couples had a very enjoyable day learning the ‘tricks of the trade’ of latin Americain with Micks sense of humour! They were: Lee McGowan and Kirsty Sahota, Andrew and Rebecca Moody, Stanislav Wakeham and Jasmine Chan, Elliott Plate and Zoe Stacey and obviously Alex and Lisa. We are sure that all the couples that participated will do extremely well in the forthcoming dance season!

Alex & Lisa have been training the best Estonian couples from Team Leevi at their Summer Training Camp 2006. Over 100 students attended the workshops, lectures and practice sessions this week, taking full benefit from the experience of England’s UK Pro Latin Champions. Some of these couples will be competing in forthcoming World Championships and we are sure they will be ready at the conclusion of the Leevi camps. Many come already to dance at the International Championships in London and then on to watch Alex & Lisa dancing at the highlight of the championships, the Grand Finals held at the Royal Albert Hall. Although for all Leevi’s couples, the Estonian Championships remains their primary goal – Good luck! Alex and Lisa have a photo diary from their coaching trip just go to leevi.ee

We are proud to announce that on Saturday 24th June 2006, Stanislav Wakeham and Jasmine Chan, one of the couples trained by Alex and Lisa were selected to be Englands representative for the Junior World 10 Dance Championship for the first time and they finished in a commendable 16th position out of 30 couples!It is an excellent achievement considering only one couple from each Country gets the privilege to dance at the Worlds. Well Done!

Alex and Lisa have just returned from a weeks trip in Japan. They demonstrated at the event organised by Leon and Eri. It was a fabulous evening and the hospitality was first class. Alex and Lisa also managed to have a tour of Okinawa island

Alex and Lisa competed in the Rising Star Professional Latin Championships on Friday 26th May 2006. The competition started with around 250 couples from all over the World; after a long 7 rounds they finished in 6th Place which was an excellent achievement.
On Wednesday 31st May they competed in the Open Professional Latin Championships. There was over 300 couples started in this event from all over the World, and they finished in the top 20 couples which was a fabulous result again.
Please look out for photos of Alex and Lisa from this event on www.dancesportinfo.net

On Saturday May 20th 2006 Alex and Lisa took part in the Imperial Professional Latin Championship held at Frimley Park London, they have made the final and finished 6th after a very hard competition of 5 rounds with over 45 couples competing from all over the World.

Alex and Lisa just returned from a trip to Dubai where they featured in a show at a Corporate event. The show was a huge success which included single demonstrations of Marco and Joanne, Stephen and Aster, Ben and Emma and obviously Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova. See the photogallery for pictures from this trip.

On the 7th of May 2006 Alex and Lisa became vice-champions of English Open Professional Latin Championships, they finished second after a hard fought competition.

Alex and Lisa will take part in the British Open Championships at the Wintergardens Ballroom in Blackpool. They will compete in two events: Professional Rising Stars Championships on Friday the 26th of May and Professional Open To The World Championships on Wednesday 31 of May.

Latin and Ballroom dancing has had a surge of popularity since Strictly Come Dancing hit our TV screens. We caught up with UK Latin amateur champions, Oleksii Ivanets and Lisa Bellinger-Ivanets at their rehearsal rooms in Eastleigh. Read more about us on BBC site

We have finally opened the new website which was created for us by the dancesportinfo.net team. We hope to be able to provide you with up to date information about us, the forthcoming events, photos and any other stuff which might be of interest.