Reward for ballroom dancers
There’s more to ballroom dancing than glitz, glamour and gowns.
Add in wardrobe malfunctions, bruised feet and hours of practise and the picture is almost complete.
Just ask ballroom, New Vogue and Latin dancers Robyn Dirks and Alex Gudsell.
‘‘I’ve been knocked over, I’ve fallen on the floor...’’ Dirks said.
She’s even stood on Gudsell’s toes so often they’ve been left covered in bruises.
‘‘They say seven falls and you’re a dancer,’’ Gusdell said. ‘‘I think I’m up to six.’’
Wardrobe malfunctions during competitions were also common.
Straps breaking, pants splitting, dresses ripping - you name it, they’ve faced it.
They’ve now learned to carry strapping tape, shoe glue and sewing kits in their gear bags.
The Hamilton duo have been competing together for one year. Their strongest style is New Vogue.
They met at Dancewell Studios in their early days of learning the sport.
Dirks, 22, stopped gymnastics to take up dancing, while Gudsell, 23, was introduced to it by a friend.
He used to participate in motocross and hunting - typical ‘‘boy stuff’’ he said - and dancing was his artistic outlet.
Now the two are dedicated to taking the sport seriously.
‘‘This is a true passion. I really believe this can go places,’’ Gudsell said.
‘‘I love the fact that this can be hard but the reward you get makes it worth it.’’
The pair recently competed alongside 300 Australasian dancers to compete in the NZ Open Dance Championships.
They received second place in level two New Vogue and fifth place in level three New Vogue.
Dirks and Gudsell also teach a beginners class, which they said was attracting more newcomers of varying ages and abilities.
‘‘There’s literally people who have wanted to dance their whole lives and watched people back in the day when they had their balls and discos and were just sitting in the corner.
‘‘They come in saying they’ve got two left feet but so do I,’’ Gudsell said.
The pair are aiming to accrue for more medals at the Dancewell Medal Day in December.
Dancewell Studios will open their new Hamilton facilities on Commerce St in early January.