Dance TV News - Anthony Hurley reports on the Outside Change Cup, Melbourne Australia June 7th 2025

The ever-popular Outside Change Cup and Freedom to Dance Ball were once again brilliantly organised by Jason Beaman and Brent Olifent at the now-famous Plaza ballroom in Melbourne.

Apart from being a popular competitive Saturday, the weekend started on Friday with a welcome party for guests, sponsors and overseas competitors and adjudicators.

A very early Saturday morning for all concerned got the competitions off to a prompt start.  All three styles, namely Ballroom, Latin American and the popular New Vogue, were well supported.

Comperes Laurie & Dianne Peterson announced the first event, and they expertly controlled the timetable throughout the day and evening. Sixteen Australian and seven overseas Adjudicators under the chairmanship of Dr Adele Hyland AM, officiated throughout the day and evening. Six overseas countries were represented by sixteen couples, plus excellent Australian entries from four states, supporting all categories.

The atmosphere in this magnificent ballroom was encouraging the competitors to give their best in their efforts to become finalists and perhaps even to join the elite in the evening Ball, which features the premier events.

I must compliment Michael Gunasekera and Keith Eaton on their superb choice of music throughout the day and evening. Which was also inspiring the competitors, and the joy I felt listening to that wonderful Blackpool sound.

The pro-am events were hotly contested over the three styles, and I must say how nice it was to see some attractive dancing that complemented the traditions of our popular styles.

The busy day featured Masters events in all styles. I prefer the title Master's better than the title Senior. It is more respectful. Also featured during the day were youth, rising star events, Amateur Ballroom, Latin American and New Vogue. Plus, the interesting Professional counterparts.

As the rounds progressed, the excitement and encouragement from the capacity audience, plus the anticipation of seeing the overseas couples, helped the competitors to raise their performance. I feel that the participation of the excellent couples from abroad certainly inspires the Australian competitors, especially those who have not had the opportunity to dance internationally. For this reason, today was no exception, and thanks must go to the organisers and sponsors for creating this opportunity, which will surely help to raise the standards of dancing in Australia.

And so, to the anticipation of the evening Ball. I have used many superlatives in the past to describe the décor, lighting, and the beautiful table settings complete with candelabra. Enough to say Hollywood could not build a finer film setting.

465 people, immaculate in evening dress, were welcomed with champagne before sitting down to a four-course dinner with unlimited wine. The courses were served between the exciting finals.

The first highlight was a showcase performance by the lovely Julie Shen, Partnered by her teacher Jason Beaman. Her choice was Tango to the music of Anientamento. Her poise and footwork were delightful. Needless to say, she received a standing ovation, not bad for a lovely lady in her late eighties.

The first final was the Amateur Open New Vogue, over five dances. Sponsored by Julie Shen & Dance On Us Singapore

Ist place. Cameron May & Paula Thompson, who were first in all five dances.  NSW

2nd place. James Bardill & Isabella Zammitt, second in all dances. WA

3rd place. Connor Rutland & Griesion Ruby Brodin. NSW

4th place. Reece Rutland- Griesion & Imogen Clark. NSW

5th place. Rhys Oakley & Lilly Taylor. Victoria

6th place. Sam & Miranda McArthur. New Zealand.

The second final Amateur Open Latin American. Sponsored by Kerrie Rolls Bourke.

1st Place. Lill Le Xing & Ella Ding, were first in all five dances. And a popular Australian victory. VIC.

2nd. Place. Bobo Liang & Bomiao Chen. From China

3rd. Place. Erik Soriano & Anda Wang. NSW.

4th.Place. Daniel Ryan & Maria Gabriela Maglahus. VIC

5th.Place. Lucien Maart & Chelsea Moores WA

6th.Place. Asher Robb& Ayumi Greene. New Zealand

A very good final, the winners were first in all five dances, but interesting marks as the second, third and fourth couples had mixed marks from 2nd’s 3rd’s and 4th’s .

Amateur Open Ballroom. Sponsored by DanceSurance, the winners received the Dennis Foley development grant worth $10,000. And the Richard & Anne Gleave Trophy, donated by Anna Longmore.

1st. Place.  Mitchell Kirby & Brieanna Pincer. WA. They danced well all day and deserved their victory, winning four dances and second in the Viennese Waltz.

2nd Place. Franco Hou & Irene Chang from Taiwan. They have improved with a softer approach, which helped them win the Viennese and 2nd in the remaining dances.

3rd.Place. Lucien Maart & Chelsea Moores .WA. Very popular with the audience and with me. I loved their togetherness and musicality, and they were a comfortable third.

4th.Place. Justin Liu & Maggy HU. New Zealand. It is pleasing how the New Zealand couples in ballroom and Latin are improving and challenging for top spots. Their marks were 3 4.4.4.4.

5th.Place. Dale Lonsdale & Robyn Dirks VIC. 5th in all dances was a good effort in this final.

6th.Place. James Bardill & Isabella Zammit. WA. Although they were 6th in all dances, they did WA proud by making this final.

Professional New Vogue. Sponsored by New Vogue Conveyancing. A three-couple final but still exciting, for the New Vogue fans who voiced their support for each couple

1st.Place. Christopher Wilson & Jordan Kopp-Collins QLD. They have excellent movement and do not exaggerate their individual moments in their choreography, so they always look like a partnership in harmony with the Music. They won all five dances.

2nd.Place. Clayton Young & Phoebe Wardlaw. VIC. They pressed the winners all the way, and I am sure they gave the adjudicators some difficult decisions. Second in all dances.

3rd.Place. Samual Webster & Jess Moriarty VIC. It is no discredit to be the last-placed couple in a final, especially when you have given your best; they finished third in all dances, and I am sure they will work hard to better their positions for the future.

During the prize presentation, we were treated to a romantic moment when Christopher Wilson dropped to one Knee and proposed to Jordan, complete with a Diamond ring. It appeared that Jordon was overcome and enjoyed a prolonged kiss with her future husband.

Professional Open Latin American. Sponsored by Dancetop. This had been a truly international competition from the first round, and the final was no exception.

Ist.Place.  Damir & Anna Haluzan from Slovenia. Their Experience and quality in all dances dominated the final, and it was no surprise that they were first in all five dances. They have a delightful floor personality.

2nd.Place. Chuanchun Lo & Yanyan Deng from China. Another experienced tall couple showing off their qualities to great advantage. Yanyan’s costume was rather unusual, and, to my eye, her talents were somewhat hidden. They were 2nd in all dances.

3rd.Place. Thabang Baloyi & Chang Wan NSW. To be third in all dances in this quality final was quite an achievement. And they represented Australia with a fine and challenging performance.

4th.Place. Xiao Wu & Jailing Long from China. They were so popular from the first round. Jailing is a beautiful dancer who has qualities that our past Latin giants would applaud. Frankly, I was fascinated by her dancing. Her partner Xiao presented her so well. They were surprisingly only fourth in all dances.

5th.Place. Jack Johnson & Joanne De Jager WA. Flying the flag for Australia in this super final, I have a soft spot for Joanne as I gave her ballroom lessons as a junior when visiting WA some years ago. However, they always give a clean performance, and Jack is a very competent partner and presents Joanne very well as a partner should. They were 5th in all dances.

6th.Place. Enrique Johns & Amy Horner. From New Zealand. Completing this international final. It’s the place that nobody wants to be in a final. But you must have certain qualities to be in the final. My advice to Enrique & Amy is that they should shadow each other more. I was aware that they often looked too far apart and separate in their choreography. They were 6th in all dances.

The Professional Open Ballroom. Sponsored by the Chong Gordon Family.

Ist.Place. Michal Le & Sandra Jablonska from Poland. They are, of course, a very experienced couple, being former British amateur champions and more recently finalists in the British Professional championship. So, it was not surprising that they gave a very professional performance that was such a good example for young Australians watching this final. They were first in all 5 dances.

2nd Place. Lyneham Forrest & Nikita Brynes NSW. I am very impressed with this couple. I recently saw them demonstrate at the Gold Coast Classic, so I was looking forward to today’s performance. I was not disappointed. They have a quality that is essential in ballroom dancing to create togetherness, good feet, correct connection in body contact, and excellent musicality. Their quickstep is rhythmic, exciting, without the modern trend of running and countless syncopated chasses. They were 2nd in all five dances.

3rd.Place. Pin Shen & Paggie Hu. From Taiwan. An attractive small couple with a lot of enthusiasm. Their fundamentals are quite good, but not quite enough to challenge for a higher placing.  4.4.3.3.3.

4th.Place. David Smith & Christina Park. NSW. It was a nice surprise for me to see David back on the Competition floor with Christina, his new partner. He is experienced in this style, so not surprising that together they were placed third in two dances.

5th.Place. Christopher Wilson & Jordan Kopp Collins. QLD. Their ballroom is slowly improving, but needs a little more get up and go, always adhering to the fundamentals, of course.

The last of the finals now completed, the four-course dinner was, as usual, excellent. Our organisers/hosts Jason & Brent, plus their organising team headed by Anna Longmore, were, as usual, first class. Everyone at the Outside Change Cup is treated as a VIP. To end this wonderful Weekend, a farewell dinner was hosted at the famous Melbourne Aquarium. Quite an experience to see a shark or a grouper pass by as you are enjoying your meal.

I am sure, like me, everyone who attended this year is now looking forward to the 9th presentation of this classical event in 2026.

Anthony Hurley

Images: Kerrie Rolls-Bourke