The glitz and glam comes to Guernsey

Monday 14 October 2024

Strictly star Kai Widdrington was amongst the entourage from the British Dance Sport Association who recently visited Guernsey and some of the island's schools.

The visit comes ahead of the Guernsey International Dance Sport Championships which are due to take place at Beau Sejour in December this year.

It’s the first time a competition has been held of this calibre in the island since 2009, which was the last time the BDSA brought an international championship to Guernsey. 

Pictured: Beau Séjour will host the International Dance Competition, the first of its kind locally for 15 years. 

Neil Harrison, the CEO of the organisation, says infrastructure and ease of set up are part of the reason it’ll be almost 15 years since the last time that level of glitz and glam got an opportunity to shine in Guernsey. 

“It's an interesting one," he said.

"We used to have competitions on the island. As the competitions have got bigger, and the promoters have stopped promoting, new ones have taken the place, they've always opted for the easier locations. So, of course, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Blackpool, they're all straightforward, they're easy, and they are set up for dance competitions.

“It would be easy for us to put a competition on in Blackpool or Birmingham or wherever but there's one there every five or six weeks to bring something back to Guernsey and we hope this is the start of an ongoing annual event or bi-annual event certainly for the Channel Islands”

When asked how many eyes will be drawn to Guernsey during the competition, Mr.Harrision had a quick answer.

“I think the whole of the dance industry is watching because the Channel Islands generally have been ignored by the dance industry. And it's a beautiful place, it's a lovely area and I think you'll find that it will draw the world organisations into looking at Guernsey again as a competitive arena.”

On top of his responsibilities on screen with Strictly, Kai is also the Director of Education for the British Dance Board Association, and so during his time on island, he spent it educating the next generation.

His visit to Amherst school will be one children will remember.

“They're the stars of the future really," he said. "When I was a kid there was no dancing in schools whatsoever and if it was, it was, you know, no disrespect, it was dancing that wasn't interesting to me.

“So for me, ballroom dancing in schools, or dancing in any form really, but obviously for us ballroom dancing is our passion, is very important. 

“If we can get the next generation dancing, it improves their mental health, physical health, cognitive thinking, you know, I've got ADHD and dyslexia and I use it as my superpower and luckily I managed to channel it through dancing as a youngster.”

The Guernsey International Dance Sport Championships are set to start on 6 December, and you can find out more on their website.