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Dance Blog May: Chris & Wes, An Inspirational Duo
- Gillian Beattie
- May 10, 2018
- 2 min read
The 'Ant & Dec' of our dance industry.
An inspirational workshop was held, curtesy of Allied Dancing Association last Sunday (6th May). This gave students; non-members and members of the society, an experience to work with Chris & Wes who we all know as winners of Got To Dance 2011.
Seeing Wes & Chris on screen dancing, being silly, bantering with the judges made me smile back then, they were cheeky boys that couldn’t believe they had the best job in the world… well, meeting them in person didn’t disappoint. They made you feel as if you were AT the best workshop in the world. Full of energy, comedy and focus on skill, tips and enjoyment. I loved the 'in-between’ times when they would muck about doing tricks and stunts, or ‘forward moon walks’…
My mother always told me “you are only as good as the people in front of you” in other words, if I couldn’t teach, inspire or bring skills to those that were in front of me; regardless of ability – I was not doing my job properly. I still stand by this and expect it of others... I would definitely say these two are at their top of their game… I bet in 10 years I’ll be saying the same too… Their love of dance is like a contagious infection. If anyone has the privilege to work with Chris & Wes please take notes on how they engage with everyone and make them feel important.
With my new project being pitched with FreeStand Films; Aspects of Dance (It's news-magazine style broadcast- Get in touch if you can help) I grabbed the opportunity to put a few questions to them on how dance has inspired them and how to help others be successful. I hope this information inspires and helps others reach their best too !
Audio chat
It was such a pleasure to talk to these two.
Some take-aways from this...
With strong support around you, you are capable of anything.
Inspiration can come from anywhere...music, movies, people.
Stick to what you LOVE doing. (To see them dance and hear them talk about dance; it is evident they love what they do).
To make a living from dance it comes down to hard work, persistence and get yourself out there!
Mobile footage of demonstrations and routine (apologies about the quality)
Chris & Wes in action on Got To Dance, Series 2
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