Let’s get ready to rumba!

A glitzy documentary follows competitors at the Blackpool Dance Festival…

For the world’s best dancers, Blackpool is the place to show off their ballroom and Latin prowess. Now, BBC1’S documentary Blackpool’s Dance Fever is lifting the lid on what it takes to compete at the annual Blackpool Dance Festival.

The documentary follows the fortunes of several couples as they head to the seaside town, including amateur Latin dancers Lloyd and Rebecca from Wales and Americans Tal and Ilana, along with Latin pros Darren from South Africa and Ukrainian Marina.

Oskar and Lauren from

Kent take centre stage in the Empress Ballroom as they prepare to wow the judges in the Amateur Rising Star Latin category.

Magical

‘Blackpool is special,’ says accountant Oskar. ‘You step on to that floor and you see the lights, hear the music, and get butterflies in your stomach!’

Oskar and Lauren compete against 100 other couples as they perform the cha-cha, paso doble, samba and rumba.

‘We train for five or six days a week for months and it’s blood, sweat and tears!’ reveals lettings agent Lauren. ‘Then, on the floor, it is like an obstacle course. You have to avoid other couples who are dancing at the same time. You get a whack in the face sometimes!’

After each round, Oskar and Lauren anxiously wait to see if they’ve made it through. Will their dream of reaching the quarterfinals come true?

‘It’s a hard contest. A lot of it is about preparation, but also luck,’ says Oskar. ‘Anything can happen – dancing is a lottery!’