Dance TV News - John Byrnes Reports on The English Amateur Latin Cup at the English Gala 2025

The English Gala and Competition 2025 - a non-for-profit event that provided a fun and energetic environment for dancers of all ages and levels to take part while raising funds that go back to dancers through cash prizes, scholarships, training camps and supporting the BCDC.

This three day event was held on for the 3rd time on the 18th- 20th of July starting with a training camp allowing competitors to train and develop together then culminating in a two day competition including a gala night creating a spotlight on some the UK’s bests dancers from Juveniles all the way to Professionals. The Kassam Stadium, the home of Oxford United football club provided the perfect back drop for the plethora of talent on display at this year’s event. Congratulations to Team London and their team captain, Jane Byrnes for winning the annual English Team during the Gala Evening, taking home a cash prize of £600 amongst over goodies.

The English Amateur Latin Cup was run over three rounds and showcased some great dancers as captured in the report by John Byrnes.

Before I begin my report I would like to congratulate Mark & Olga Elsbury for running The English Gala. They have created a most wonderful event which has gone from strength to strength since it’s inception three years ago & I look forward to hopefully being a part of it again in 2026.

1st Place: Gustav Skovbon & Ella Perry

They performed beautifully showing that they are a world class act & for me easy winners. Gustav has a lovely softness in his movement. This would be enhanced by producing more strength & torque within his body & being more aware of his personal space to appear more commanding. Ella is a powerful

dancer who is sometimes guilty of over trying, but not on this occasion. Tonight she seemed to trust her technical skills & her feeling for dance which made her performance more appealing. Congratulations to both of you!

2nd Place: Chris Buttle & CeeCee Jackson

They danced with an admirable freedom & explosiveness. I felt it was close on the night between them & the third placed couple. Chris is at his best when he maintains body isolation & cuban motion but these aspect of his dancing are still a little inconsistent in his performance. Ceecee is an admirably powerful, expressive & grounded dancer. She now needs to develop her leg action further to continue her improvement. Well done

3rd Place: Dragos Hepcat & Chloe Blackshaw

For me overall this was one of their better performances. If an adjudicator’s decision was based on how much energy & commitment to a movement a dancer gave in their performance Dragos would be the champion. He is often guilty of over trying & using too much force to complete his movements lacking in finesse & sensing. Tonight I felt he was a little calmer in this aspect which made it all look better. Chloe is a good technical dancer who you can rely on not to do anything untoward but sometimes looks a little too comfortable. Unlucky on this occasion not to be higher.

4th Place: Timurs Cepurnois & Arina Taicher

They danced as well as they ever have. Timur is a talented dancer & seems to have improved his timing. I would like to see less upper body/shoulder movement & more concentration to his core & cuban motion. Arina is a neat dancer who should now work on developing her leg action & finding an inner strength in her body if she is to challenge the girls above her. I know Timur is dedicated to his dancing so hopefully they will make the necessary adjustments.

5th Place: Jakub Dusa & Emily Stockdale

A fairly new couple who have so much potential yet to be realised. Jakub is close to being a wonderful Latin exponent but there is still a lot of development & work to be done. He has an admirable feeling for Latin but this is often reflected by his shoulders rising. He also can appear short legged as his hips are tilted backwards. Emily’s development lies in ensuring that her body is more angular with greater torque. One to watch for the future!

6th Place: Dani Tkachenko & Eleanora Kostileva

Another relatively new couple. They are powerful & attacking dancers with good timings & they know how to spin. Dani has an admirable “body tick”/ rhythm but seems to be unaware of line & unsure where a movement finishes & a new movement begins. Eleanora is an expressive dancer but needs to improve her leg action. Well done for enhancing this final.

Thank you to all the vendors and sponsors of this year’s events with a special thanks to Sophie’s photography for providing the photo’s. All the images from this year can be found at www.sophies.photography