Hartlepool dancers shine at Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival
A group of Hartlepool dancers have made their town proud after excelling in a northern dance festival earlier this month.
Students at Jemma Louise Academy came home with first and fourth place in formation dancing at the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival earlier this month.
Formation is a type of team dancing where several couples perform a choreographed routine together, creating different shapes, patterns and movements across the dance floor.
Jemma Flounders has run Jemma Louise Academy for 14 years, specialising in ballroom, Latin American and classical sequence.
This is the first time however, that she has taught formation dancing.
She said: “I’ve always liked the idea and thought it’s time to challenge myself and offer something completely different.
"It’s been a huge learning curve with plenty of challenges.”
The academy’s junior team, whose members are aged 16 and younger, performed a routine to songs from SIX The Musical, earning themselves first place.
Jemma said: "The atmosphere during their performance was absolutely electric.
"The audience were singing along to the songs, cheering and clapping.
"It was incredible to see everyone getting behind the girls and enjoying their performance.
"They went on to win the junior formation competition which was beyond anything we’d imagined on our first attempt.”
Jemma also took an adult team to the competition who performed a classical sequence formation routine to Bridgerton, coming fourth place.
Jemma said: "Our Bridgerton theme allowed us to bring a little theatrical storytelling to this beautiful style of dancing.
"For many of our ladies, simply stepping onto that famous Blackpool floor was a massive personal achievement.
"They challenged themselves, stepped outside their comfort zones and made us incredibly proud.”
It took Jemma’s students just ten weeks to practice their routines, practicing once a week ahead of the October competition.
Jemma said: "We were delighted to be part of such a prestigious festival with a history stretching back 126 years in the Empress Ballroom.”
She added: "I never imaged the academy would become what it is today.
"Sometimes I genuinly have to pinch myself when I look at the wonderful people around me and the incredible talent we have in Hartlepool and the surrounding areas.”