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The Dance Review - Alex Shindila Reports on the UK Closed Under 21 Ballroom Championship



1st Mykhailo Bokii and Ivanna Tymczyszyn

This young couple dominated the under 21 competition from the very first step of Slow Waltz in the first round until the last second of quickstep in the final. Ivanna changed her dress for the final from green to white and that look simply enhanced their power with grace and elegance. Angelic- the word that comes to mind. I noticed that they have improved their pendulum swing dramatically which allowed them to seamlessly swallow the floor in swing dances. With great understanding of how to support the depth of their swing with sway made them look incredibly consistent in transitional phases of their choreography creating a very powerful look.  If they continue to improve the way they did in the last few months, the future is looking very bright for these young competitors. Easy win for me, Congratulations.

 

2nd Kyrylo Novikov and Tallulah Wilkinson 

Kyrylo & Tallulah finished second in this very competitive final and proved to be strong contenders. I enjoy watching this young couple dance as they are always very entertaining and full of quality. I would love them to time the usage of their standing legs better which will allow them to create a more powerful, deeper swing action. I believe that would bring better musicality in their dancing. At times they look too high which creates the look like they are using too much physical force in the upper body rather than letting the bigger muscle groups to do more work. May be that is the reason why Kyrylo’s right hand drifts to a slightly unorthodox position during their dancing. Better timing of their legs will allow Tallulah get to the correct space and Kyrylo’s right hand wouldn’t move toward Tallula’s left triceps. I would also like for Kyrylo to revisit the foot work in V.Waltz, that would allow the pendulum swing in this dance be more consistent and better timed.  Overall a very promising and talented young couple and I have no doubt there is much more to come from them. Congratulations.

 

3rd Max Draper and Sofiia Tyshchyk 

A relatively new partnership. The first time I saw Max & Sofiia was at the British Open in May and even since then I can see quite a vast improvement. I don’t want to call Max a very lucky man but I guess any ballroom dancer that has such a gem of a lady in their arms could be called lucky.  Sofiia’s understanding of weight shift is simply incredible; you can see that Max enjoys that power very much. That power allows them to look super fit on the floor in those tough semi-finals and finals, something that a lot of dancers lack these days. I would like to see Max pay more attention to his left side of the ribcage as it looks less active and less picked up than his right side which sometimes creates a stressed neck line. I believe this adjustment will allow them to challenge couples in front of them.  Great performance, congratulations.

 

4th Oliver Johnson and Sophie Heyworth

Oliver & Sophie were placed 4th in this Under 21 championship final. There are so many good qualities this couple possess; very tall, timed and well together. They have a great chemistry and feel for the dancing they produce, but unfortunately a lot of those qualities start to decimate towards the later stages of the semi-finals and finals. I would love for them to concentrate on their fitness and stamina a bit more which will allow them to maintain better space and harmony. Quality dancers who could be great. Congratulations.


5th Daniel Ettridge and May Reid

Under 21 Latin champions show their versatility in this ballroom final. What these two produce is nothing short of incredible. To be able to dance both styles at such high level is to be admired by all. They bring a unique approach to ballroom dancing and use their latin expertise to enhance their ballroom qualities. I would love for Daniel to provide better space for May on his right side and for May to have more consistency in her core stretch which will allow her to have an easier support in the poise centre and the neck line. Very impressed by what I have seen from these two and no doubt it will only get better.


6th Arthur Sugonjev and Tulip Wellman-Riggs

Well, what can I say about this couple who completed this wonderful final? If there was a trophy at the UK Closed Championships for the most improved dancer it would most certainly go to Arthur. The amount of improvement this young man made in the last year is simply unbelievable. He is a great example to younger juvenile dancers that hard work and determination pays off. However, in the final the space between Arthur and Tulip diminished quite a bit. Being a little more square in relation to each other made the natural and reverse rotations quite difficult to execute, making them spend much more physical energy than needed. Unfortunately that takes away from consistency of weight flow and interrupts transitional phases in their choreography. Nevertheless, I am hugely impressed by these two. Congratulations.   

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