Last night was a fantastic success.
The room was packed, the guests were dressed up to the 9s, and the dancers had a surprising amount of lycra and sequins on show. The evening started with a champagne reception followed by an hilarious "behind the scenes" video and a presentation to the two charities, Orbis and Paralympics UK.
In the heats, the tango was a blur but we apparently knocked 'em dead. By the time we started our jive, all the pressure was off, my red vest was out, and we were able to smile and laugh throughout. We had loads of kind compliments from other dancers and guests (including our instructor, Damien), and his wife Clara (the professional judge for the evening) gave us a perfect 10 for the tango and jive. Together with a few votes from the viewing masses and a number of "pre-paid" votes (all in the name of charity), we made it to the final 4.
By the time the final came round, we were far more relaxed - not least because we knew we weren't going to win! The scoring in the final was 100% down to the viewing public and their voting buttons, so our technical proficiency as a couple was going to be no match for the cartwheels and elaborate moves that some girls (if not their partners) were showing off.
But (thankfully) the spoils went to our favourite couple, Errol and Jenny, who eschewed sequins and imported outfits but still looked like a fantastic couple on the dancefloor. Their cha cha cha was by far the best of the night.
A hell of a lot of money was raised for charity (thanks Mums, Dads, Lucy and Paula in particular), including the amount Jo and Emily spent on their voting buttons. I'll send an update soon once I have seen photos, videos and a fundraising total.
Not sure what to do with my spare time now, other than catch up on work and train for the triathlon relay next month... and I have a pair of dancing shoes and trousers to use somehow...
