The truth about ballroom – and it’s nothing like Strictly!

Hannah-Louise Annetts’ real-life story about ballroom and latin dancing appeared in the DAILY MAIL newspaper on Saturday.

As a Strictly Come Dancing fan (so pleased it doesn’t clash with X Factor now!) I found my interview with one of the UK’s top amateur ballroom dancers, Hannah-Louise, absolutely fascinating. In this interview she describes the bitchy world that is ballroom dancing- clouts on the dance floor from a fellow competitor are well known, for example and you daren’t leave your dress unattended in case it suffers an accident.
I also never realised how bonded the partnerships are. As Hannah-Louise says, judging is all centred around the ‘marriage’ between you and your partner, how you move together and whether you are a meeting of minds. Naturally, affairs are common and jealousy and betrayal (dancers trying out another partner behind their original partner’s backs to see if he or she might be better) is rife. Hannah-Louise has found it has wrecked havoc with her personal love life (she admits she doesn’t have one!) as dancing partners often don’t like her having a boyfriend – and boyfriends outside dancing find it hard to watch her having an intimate moment with her dance partner…
Yet, as she says, there is something addictive and all consuming about ballroom dancing so after 14 years – and as she is now in touching distance of going professional – she is not going to give it all up now.

Hannah-Louise said on Saturday: “Dad went out and got the paper this morning. We were all so excited. I think it’s brilliant and I am so pleased. Thanks so much.”

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Alison Smith-Squire

Alison Smith-Squire is a writer, journalist and media agent selling exclusive real life stories to newspapers, magazines and TV. She owns the sell my story website Featureworld.co.uk, which was set up to help ordinary people sell their stories to the press.

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