When three of the world’s leading dance examination boards with more than 15,000 UK members between them join forces with the Royal Albert Hall it can only mean one thing…… The launch of the Dance Proms!!

On Sunday 13th November 2011 members from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), the International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA), and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) will come together for a national celebration of dance, dancers and dance teachers. Members who successfully applied by sending video clips of their dance routines have been selected via a judging panel and public vote to perform an original piece of choreography in any dance genre ranging from Ballet to Bollywood,. This is a fantastic opportunity for dancers to perform live at one the world’s most prestigious venues, the Royal Albert Hall in London.

This is the very first time the 3 dance organizations in partnership with the Royal Albert Hall have collaborated, and Dance Proms will celebrate the dedication and passion of dance teachers and give dancers from all over the country the opportunity to perform and showcase their work.

It is hoped that the event will allow dance to reach new audiences through the media and that Dance Proms will become an annual celebration and appreciation of dance. With patrons including Karen Hardy and Wayne Sleep and guest appearances by Strictly Come Dancing’s Darren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova and Principals of The Royal Ballet on the night, Dance Proms 2011 certainly looks set to be a dance festival not to be missed!


Good luck to all the Dance schools participating in the Dance Proms! Whether you are performing as a solo, duet or a group, the showcase will no doubt be a spectacular event! We would also like to wish Dancewear Central’s customers who are taking part the very best of luck! We look forward to hearing all about it soon!

London’s ‘Move It,’ dance festival proved once again this year that London is the place to be to celebrate the diversity of dance. And in keeping with this ethic, Honey Kalaria (who is best known for her role as a choreographer on ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’) has announced an exciting dance contest. The Bollywood Dance Championships will take an X-Factor style format and will be an amazing opportunity for Bollywood style dancers to win an excellent prize of £30,000 worth of tuition and a very real opportunity to land roles in film and stage productions.

Kalaria has her own dance school in London and wants to encourage dancers of all backgrounds to take part in the Bollywood Championships, saying, “The idea is to encourage people from all dance genres and cultural backgrounds to participate and compete: Indian Classical to Bhangra; Salsa to Belly dancing, right through to Hip Hop and Street.”

Bollywood is a spectacularly colourful form of dance, incorporating traditional dance styles from India with Western dance – with consistently spectacular results!

The auditions kick off in London in April and there will be further heats for those who make it past the judges in May, with the final stages scheduled for later in the year. The competition is divided into four age categories, catering to 4 – 7 year olds, 8-12 year olds, 13 – 17 years old and then the over 18s. Full entry conditions and audition schedules are available from the Desitara website.