THE
TIMES
BALLROOM
AUSTRALIA
R
Vol. 2 No. 9 September 2015
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A Letter from the Editors
Welcome to The Australia Times “BALLROOM”, September 2015 Edition. This month we
see coverage, including some great footage, from the 2015 Anderson Morgan Tasmanian
Open. The 2015 MarShere Grand Slam was held in August and we have the results and
some great photos from this event. We have results of our Aussies Around the World, a great
Off The Floor interview with Professional couple Jarrod & Jayne Dawson as well as a moving
tribute to the late Max Bond from Kellie Brogan. Contact us at info@theaustraliatimes.com.
au if you want to contribute to the next edition. Jason & Erin.
ON THE COVER
Adrian Marcato & Marianna Boin VIC
SOUTH COAST SPECTACULAR
Adult Open New Vogue Champions
PHOTO BY NITSIA LIONIS
www.lionisphotography.com.au
IN THIS ISSUE
Letter from the Editors.............Pg 3
Tasmanian Open......................Pg 6
Tas Open Footage..................Pg 18
MarShere Grand Slam...........Pg 20
Aussies Around the World.....Pg 28
Off The Floor..........................Pg 34
Vale - Max Bond....................Pg 42
Want to be a contributor?
Please email us
info@theaustraliatimes.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS
Viktoria Morgan
Jarrod & Jayne Dawson
Kellie Brogan
Photographers :
Nitsia Lionis, Kerrie Bourke,
Mark Gadsden
COMING NEXT MONTH
• Off The Floor Interview
• Balance Nourish Thrive
• Premiere Dancesport
• Aussies Around the World
• and much much more!
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Shout.
JUST DO-NATE.
ShoutForGood.com
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Viktoria Morgan reporting ...
As a first time attendee to this Championship, I was hugely excited and I was not
disappointed. Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities and I was so impressed
by the well preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings. The Tamar Valley wine
region was beautiful, and the Cataract Gorge chair lift was sensational.
This was truly a spectacular event and I can see it becoming a premier event on all competitor’s calendars.
Incredible attention to detail by the organising team. It was great to see that the audience contained such
a high percentage of general public. I personally think this is so important for dancing to appeal to a wider
audience, and gain in popularity.
The venue was superb. A lot of dancers commented on how they loved the big practice area backstage. It
gave them many opportunities for practice during the event. A bonus was the fact that the floor was the same
backstage as the competition floor, which is not always possible at other events.
The afternoon session was all about the new generation of dancers of all ages. It was great to see the
recreational division featuring so many great up and coming dancers. A highlight for the crowd was seeing
the little Sub-Juvenile Recreational dancers receive their medals and certificates, some for the first time. The
excitement on the faces of some younger dancers was priceless. Such a joy to see.
The evening session was exciting, with amazing music played by RUSSELL MAYBERRY. I am sure the
dancers appreciated his good taste. Dancers were awarded with stunning medals, with C grade and
above receiving prize money
.
LARRY CLARKE and JO PALMER did a fantastic job on the mic, helping the event run as smoothly as possible.
HERE IS A BRIEF REVIEW ON EVENTS:
Sigurdur Sigurdsson & Annalisa Zoanetti dominated the AMATEUR LATIN field, winning all 5 dances.
They looked very confident, fluent and balanced, with great floor presence. This young
lady always looks great on the floor, presenting solid technique combined with intensity and focus that is easy
for the judges to mark. Annalisa’s dancing is so animalistic. I just love her ‘x-factor’ and passion. At times it
could be softened, but don’t change your personality, it is what makes you you, Annalisa!
8TH AUGUST 2015 TASMANIA
Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
SIGURDUR SIGURDSSON & ANNALISA ZOANETTI (SA)
Adult Open Latin Champions
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Thabang Baloyi & Daria Walczak are an extremely eye catching couple. Daria’s costume choice is always
fabulous. A change in hairstyle today was surprising, yet refreshing. Totally outrageous, and it
rocked!
This couple definitely use their personalities and characterization of the dances to their advantage.
Keep working hard, as 3rd and 4th place were close on your heels!
8TH AUGUST 2015 TASMANIA
Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
THABANG BALOYI & DARIA WALCZAK (NSW)
2nd Place Adult Open Latin
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
JUVENILE pair Samuel Brown & Berkley Wood caught my attention. Samuel and Berkley are from
Shepparton and are seasoned competitors. Throughout the competition, they had good energy and clearly love
Latin. However, I find Sam is very talented at Ballroom and New Vogue also. Lovely top line for a young man
and he looked very focused while competing.
Look forward to seeing them take to the floor
as Juniors very soon.
The B GRADE NEW VOGUE was a close competition with Angus Davidson & Suzanne Nathan and RJ
Odon & Katie Walker coming out on equal points. Angus & Suzanne took out the title in the end. I felt RJ
& Katie really pushed for top honours. I was concerned to find
a lot of incorrect footwork in the
Swing Waltz by others in the field.
8TH AUGUST 2015 TASMANIA
Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
ANGUS DAVIDSON & SUZANNE NATHAN (VIC)
Adult B Grade New Vogue Champions
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Liam Bott & Stephanie King won all 4 dances in the ADULT B GRADE LATIN. The crowd erupted when
they were crowned the Champions. It was one of the most exciting wins of the night.
Congratulations on your success in your home town! Very well deserved.
If there was a lady of elegance award in the Masters, Irene Stevens, Janet Tkacz and
Irena Brooks would be my top three. These ladies know what they are doing. Well dressed, great hair, very
polished. Congratulations ladies, you should be proud of your efforts.
Congratulations to all the dancers. It was a pleasure to see you all so passionate and taking such pride in your Art.
It was also so amazing to see such strong community support from the local Launceston businesses.
A big thank-you to the sponsors below for supporting the Championship. Without sponsors, events of this
quality cease to exist.
Naming Rights : Anderson Morgan
Major Sponsors : Dancesport Tasmania Events Tasmania Launceston City Council
Bendigo Bank Southern Cross Television Country Club Casino
Sponsors : Josef Chromy Wines Walker Designs J Boag & Son
The Examiner Cachet Matsons Catering
Telstra Kings Meadows & Quadrant Mall VJAM
Central Choice Foods Outside Change
A big thank you Andrew & Jo Palmer and your team. It was an outstanding event. Roll on 2016! I am looking
forward to it already!
Note: DanceSport Tasmania since 2011 has chosen the Clown Doctors
as its nominated charity to support. The Board has elected to once again
support Clown Doctors Tasmania for 2014-2016. Well done DanceSport
Tasmania, AMAZING work.
For a look at all the detailed results from this event, please go to :
http://dancesportlive.net/dsl/results/2015/dsa_tas/session/by_name.php
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
CRAWFORD HILL & MONIQUE SAVILL (VIC)
Adult Open New Vogue Champions
Photo by Mark Gadsden : www.dancesportphoto.net
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
SIMON BROWNE & ANGELA SCHUMANN (VIC)
3rd Place Adult Open New Vogue
Photo by Mark Gadsden : www.dancesportphoto.net
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
JULIAN CAILLON & LILY CORNISH (TAS)
3rd Place Adult Open Latin
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
QUNYI SUN & YINGHONG LIU (SA)
Masters I C Grade Latin Champions, 2nd Place C Grade Standard, 3rd Place B Grade Latin & New Vogue
Masters II C & B Grade Latin Champions, C Grade Standard Champions, 3rd Place B Grade Standard & New Vogue
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
STEPHEN MCCARRON & ESTER MCCARRON (QLD)
2nd place Masters III B Grade Standard & New Vogue, 5th Place Masters III Open Standard & New Vogue
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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8TH AUGUST 2015 TASMANIA
Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
XAVIER SERRALLACH & BARBARA THACKER (NZ)
Masters 1 B Grade Latin Champions, 5th Place Open Latin, 3rd Place C Grade New Vogue
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
TRAVIS PREECE & SHELBY CASSAR (VIC)
Youth C Grade Latin, Standard & New Vogue Champions, 3rd Place B Grade Latin & New Vogue, 4th Place B
Grade Standard, 5th Place Open Latin & Standard
Photo by Kerrie Bourke : www.facebook.com/kerrierollsbourkephotography
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
Check out the videos below from some of the events!
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Anderson Morgan Tasmanian Open
1
CROWD SHOT DURING A PUBLIC DANCE
Photo courtesy of MarShere Kilsyth’s Facebook page
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1
16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
Sunday 16th August saw Australia’s Largest Dance Studio Franchise, MARSHERE DANCE STUDIO’S, come
together at the Kingston Town Hall in Melbourne for it’s 2015 Dance Grand Slam Competition. All 15
MarShere locations
were in attendance with events for everyone including Junior (13 & Under) Best Boy
& Girl events, Adult/Teenage events and 35 Years & Over events for Bronze, Silver and Gold & Higher levels,
Teacher & Pupil events, Formation Teams and of course the Principal and Teacher events which is always a
highlight on the Grand Slam program.
This year the adjudicating panel consisted of Adele Hyland (NSW), Tony Gauci (NSW), Andrew Palmer
(TAS) and Melinda Hayes (NSW) with the local MarShere Adjudicators, Jenni Pedersen, Brent Olifent,
Dianne Peterson, Carol Davis, Joanne Mills and Neil Rosenfeld with the Directors of the MarShere
Franchise Mark & Sheryl O’Donoghue. They all had a very busy and difficult day with over 300 entries
across the different events and four dance styles of Ballroom, New Vogue, Latin & Street Latin.
Each adjudicator had a brief write up in the program about their history and an accompanying ‘action shot’ where possible.
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16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
The biggest event of the day was the TEACHER & 4 PUPILS OPEN Level teams event with 66 teachers
starting the first round making 330 people in that one event. A great spectacle and a great way to get clients
participating in the fun of competition dancing at a social level.
The eventual winner of the Teacher & 4 Pupils Open was SHANE LAWTON (Ferntree Gully Studio) with his 4
pupils, Helen Kitching (1st Quickstep), Kaity Russell (1st La Bomba), Suzanne Malesevic (1st Cha Cha)
and Jade Ordish (2nd Salsa).2nd place went to TERRY ROBERTSON & Team (Cranbourne Studio) being
placed 2, 3, 3, 1.
3rd. KEN PEDERSEN & Team (Pakenham Studio) 3, 4, 2, 4.
4th. LAURIE PETERSON & Team (Ferntree Gully Studio) 4, 2, 6, 5.
5th. UMESH GOONAWARDENA & Team (Pakenham Studio) 7, 5, 4, 3.
6th. REBECCA STANNING (Kilsyth Studio) 6, 6, 5, 7.
7th. JUSTIN BOURKE & Team (Ferntree Gully Studio) 5, 7, 7, 6.
SHANE LAWTON WITH JADE ORDISH, KAITLYN RUSSELL, HELEN KITCHING & SUZANNE MALESEVIC
Teacher & 4 Pupil Open Champions
Photo courtesy of Rose Balango-Malesevic
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16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
LEVEL 1 & 2 TEACHER WITH 3 PUPILS up to Silver Level Teams started with an entry field of 57 teams and
was won by UMESH GOONAWARDENA (Pakenham Studio) with his team of Cassandra Smith, Mercedes
Gaida & Jacqui Helliar. Placing 2nd in Quickstep and 1st in Jive and Merengue.
2nd. LAURIE PETERSON & Team (Ferntree Gully Studio) 1, 5, 5.
3rd. BRYCE O’DONOGHUE & Team (Greensborough Studio) 8, 2, 3.
4th. NATHAN DERFI & Team (Pakenham Studio) 7, 4, 2.
5th. LISA MALCOLM & Team (Pakenham Studio) 6, 3, 4.
6th. JOSH PICKUP & Team (Kilsyth Studio) 2, 6, 7.
7th. TROY BELL & Team (Cranbourne Studio) 5, 7, 6.
8th. JOHN MEYER & Team (Pakenham Studio) 4, 8, 8.
Interesting to note that the teams who placed 3rd, 4th & 5th all had a total of 15 points which goes to show
how close the standard was across the whole event.
UMESH GOONAWARDENA WITH CASSANDRA SMITH @ MARSHERE PAKENHAM
Teacher & 3 Pupil Champions - WITH MERCEDES GAIDA & JAQUI HELLIAR
Photo courtesy of Cassandra Smith
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16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
The other team event was the LEVEL 1 TEACHER & 2 PUPILS Beginner & Bronze Level. 28 teams danced
the first round and the eventual winning teacher was JOSH PICKUP (Kilsyth Studio) winning both the Merrilyn
& Cha Cha with his students Fal Bhatt & Patricia Depetro.
2nd. TROY BELL & Team (Cranbourne Studio) 2,2.
3rd. JOHN MEYER & Team (Pakenham Studio) 3,6.
4th. KIMBERLEY FERGUSON & Team (Langwarrin Studio)
6, 3.
5th. LISA MALCOLM & Team (Pakenham Studio) 5, 5.
6th. ANDREW SMITH & Team (Heathmont Studio)4,7.
7th. NATHAN DERFI & Team (Pakenham Studio) 7, 4.
75 Teachers from across all 15 MarShere
Franchises
entered the day in the various Team events
and the winner of the TOP TEACHER AWARD FOR 2015 was
Umesh Goonawardena (Pakenham Studio) with 273 points
followed by Bryce O’Donoghue (Greensborough Studio) with
264 points and 3rd was Troy Bell (Cranbourne Studio) with
250 points.
The winning studio receiving the most points across all events was MARSHERE PAKENHAM
AND PRINCIPALS KEN PEDERSEN & ANTHEA METE received the Perpetual Trophy. The Pakenham studio’s
attendance was very strong with some super talented dancers on show especially in the Junior divisions. A
very well deserved win for the Pakenham studio for 2015.
JOSH PICKUP WITH STUDENTS FAL BHATT
& PATRICIA DEPETRO
Teacher & 2 Pupil Champions
MARSHERE PAKENHAM
Overall Grand Slam Winning Studio
Photo courtesy of MarShere Pakenham’s facebook page
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16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
16TH AUGUST 2015 MELBOURNE
MarShere Dance Grand Slam
The PRINCIPAL & TEACHER EVENTS are always a highlight and this year both the Ballroom and Latin events
were won by SHANE LAWTON & TATYANA OSTAPOVICH (Ferntree Gully Studio). The rules of this event
were that the Gold Routines in both styles had to be danced and Shane & Tatyana were indeed clear winners
of these two events with some beautiful dancing in these syllabus dances.
2nd in both styles were MATT MCMAHON & REBECCA STANNING (Kilsyth Studio)
3rd in the Ballroom was TERRY ROBERTSON & CAITLYN WILLIAMS (Cranbourne Studio) and 3rd in the
Latin was JON GARNETT & JACINTA HAITANA (Mornington Studio).
It was a fabulous day of fun competition with the majority of people in attendance competing in their very first
competition. To all the studio Principals and Teachers, well done for the care and enjoyment you give so many
of your clients.
All results of the 2015 MarShere Dance Grand Slam can be found at
http://dancesportlive.net/dsl/results/2015/marshere/
If you are interested in nding out more about the MarShere Franchise,
you can visit their website at
www.marshere.com.au
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International
The most recent results of Australian Couples from
Competitions held around the World.
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International
The most recent results of Australian Couples from
Competitions held around the World.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Aussies Around the World
WDC OPEN TO THE WORLD
Ning Xia, China 24th, 25th July, 2015-08-11
David Klar & Lauren Andlovec the reigning
Australian Professional Ballroom Champions made
this very international final and placed 8th behind
couples from England, Italy, Russia and Canada.
CAN-AM DANCESPORT GALA
Toronto, Canada Thursday 30th July, 2015
West Australian Richard Tonizzo & his Canadian
partner Claire Hansen placed 2nd in the Professional
Ballroom Championship behind reigning Canadian
Champions Anton Lebedev & Anna Borsch.
EMPIRE DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
New York, USA Thursday 6th August, 2015
In the Professional Rising Star Latin Championship
we see former Australian Nicole Prosser and her
partner Stanislav Savich finish in 3rd place out of
a first round consisting of 19 couples.
WDSF GERMAN OPEN
Stuttgart, Germany Tuesday 11th August, 2015
Australia’s sole representatives at this years WDSF
German Open were West Australians now residents
of Denmark, Brodie Barden & Lana Skrgic-de
Fonseka.
They started their European circuit with the WDSF
German Open with their first events being the Adult
Rising Star Standard and Latin.
248 couples took the floor in round 1 of the ADULT
RISING STAR LATIN and Brodie and Lana made it
through some massive cuts to make the 3rd round
of 96 couples placing in equal 64th.
The ADULT RISING STAR STANDARD saw 175
couples dance in round 1 with Brodie and Lana making
the 2nd round of 96 couples placing equal 80th.
In the
WDSF GRAND SLAM STANDARD
Championship we saw 258 couples take the floor in
the Standard event with Brodie & Lana making the
2nd round of 182 couples and
placing equal 171st.
Other Australians who competed in this event were
Errol & Ami Williamson (Denmark) making the
3rd round and
placing equal 113th
.
Making the final for the first time at the German
Open and placing 6th was Bjorn Bitsch & Ashli
Williamson, what a great result for them and one
we are sure they would be very happy with.
Grand Slam Standard results are
1st. Simone Segatori & Annette Sudol (Germany)
2nd. Dimitry Zharkov & Olga Kulikova (Russia)
3rd. Evaldas Sodeika & Ieva Zukauskaite (Lithuania)
4th. Nikolay Darin & Natalia Seridina (Moldova)
5th. Francesco Galuppo & Debora Pacini (Italy)
6th. Bjorn Bitsch & Ashli Williamson (Denmark)
WDSF GRAND SLAM LATIN
Championship saw the
event start with 314 couples with Brodie & Lana
making the 2nd round once again
placing equal
154th
. Great results for their first German Open.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Aussies Around the World
Grand Slam Latin results are
1st. Armen Tsaturyan & Svetlana Gudyno (Russia)
2nd. Marius-Andrei Balan & Khrystyna Moshenska
(Germany)
3rd. Gabriele Goffredo & Anna Matus (Moldova)
4th. Timur & Imametdinov & Nina Bezzubova
(Germany)
5th. Charles Guillaume Schmitt & Elena Salhikova
(France)
6th. Yury Simachev & Anastasia Klokotova (Russia)
KILLICK KLASSIK
Boca Raton, USA 19 - 23 August, 2015
Paul Killick in association with Shirley Ballas
organised yet again the Killick Klassik in Boca Raton,
USA. This year saw an Australian and New Zealand
couple competing with their results as follows
Professional Rising Star Latin saw Victorians Craig
Monley & Sriani Argaet place 7th in the semi final
round with a massive 31 recalls to the final, just
missing out on the final by the narrowest of margins.
In the professional Open Latin Craig & Sriani
made the Quarter Final round placing in 14th
position. Winners of the Professional Open Latin
were this years demonstrating couple at the
Australian Champion Stefano Di Filippo & Dasha
Chessnokova.
In the Amateur Latin, London based New Zealanders
Brian Dibnah & Sarah Nolan were also successful
in making the semi final round placing 9th with 15
recalls to the final round. Brian & Sarah were also
successful in taking the title in both the Youth and
Amateur Rising Star Latin Championships. Great
results.
BALLARE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Singapore Saturday 22nd August, 2015
The Ballare International Championships were
organised by former Singapore Professional
Champions Melvyn & Nancy Low with a large
International contingent of competitors and judges.
On the Adjudicating panel from Australia was Mr
Alex Schembri from Sydney.
Antonio Micheli & Katusha Volgina featured in the
final of the Professional Ballroom event placing 3rd
behind Alessio Potenziani & Veronika Vlasova (Russia)
and Go Hashimoto & Keiko Onda of Japan. Other
finalists featured from Russia, England and Korea.
Also in the Professional Ballroom event was Steven
Grinbergs & Rachelle Plaass who just missed out
on making the final finishing in 7th place in the semi
final round.
Andrey Gorbunov & Karla Gerbes were successful
in making the Professional Latin placing 3rd behind
two Italian couples in a very strong final, other
countries represented in this final were Malaysia,
Indonesia and Taiwan.
Gu Guo Tai & Daisy Liem danced in the Over 55
Ballroom event placing 6th against couples from
Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Pro-Am was also featured at these championships
with Steven Grinbergs & his student Annie Mung
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Aussies Around the World
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Aussies Around the World
competing with some great results and they are as
follows :
Open Gold Waltz – 2nd
Open Gold Viennese Waltz – 2nd
Open Gold Tango – 4th
Open Gold Slow Foxtrot – 2nd
Open Gold Quickstep – 2nd
5 Dance Gold – 1st place.
Stephen Thomas & his student Tiffany Willie
competed in the Pro Am Latin events and placed
Open Bronze Samba – 2nd
Open Bronze Rumba – 2nd
Open Bronze Cha Cha – 2nd
RAFFLES OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Singapore Sunday 23rd August, 2015
Steven Grinbergs & Rachelle Plaass placed
2nd in the Professional Ballroom final behind
Russian couple Mikhail & Olesya Emereev, while in
the Professional Latin event only four couples took
the floor with Andrey Gorbunov & Karla Gerbes
taking out the title with first place of every judge in
every dance.
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OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
with Jarrod & Jayne Dawson
FROM QLD
Photo courtesy of Jarrod & Jayne, thank you.
Pg 35
OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
with Jarrod & Jayne Dawson
FROM QLD
THE QUESTIONS YOU ALWAYS
WANTED TO ASK!
When, Where and Why did you both start dancing?
Jayne - I started dancing when I was 5 years old in Coffs Harbour. My Nan was competing at the time and had
a love and passion for Ballroom Dancing. I used to dance at any opportunity, so she thought I would enjoy it
and took me along to a class. I fell in love with it and started competing not long after. My Nan would take me
to lessons and training every Sunday and they are some of my happiest childhood memories. She is in her late
80’s now and is our biggest fan.
Jarrod - I started when I moved to Repton at the age of 11. There was a Ballroom Dancing studio at the local
bowling club and all the local kids used to go to the social class. It was recommended by my neighbour that
I should go along to make new friends. It was very intimidating at the time as I had never danced before. Not
one to back down from new things I went along and loved it from the first class and never looked back.
How many dance partners have you both had?
We have both had three partners before we started dancing together. Jarrod and I started dancing together
in 2006. As we both had grown up in a small country town 20 minutes south of Coffs Harbour we eventually
ended up at the same studio. At the beginning of 2006 Jarrod didn’t have a partner and I had just come back
from having a couple of years off. It was then that we decided to start dancing together just for fun. It wasn’t
long before our competitive side kicked in and we decided we wanted to start competing. We were level 2 in
all three styles and in July of 2006 we moved to the Gold Coast and then later moved to Brisbane to further
our dancing career.
How many hours of lessons do you have a week and how many hours of practice is involved?
Until recently we have been having 4 hours of lessons a week. We train before and after our lessons as well
as a Sunday night sweat session for a couple of hours. We are at the studio most days of the week dancing.
It must be hard with teaching, work and your own dancing, how do you manage your time?
It is hard to fit everything in and quite frankly there are not enough hours in the day. We both work full time to
pay for our dancing expenses and travel. However our new found love is teaching and we try and fit as many
lessons in as we can each week and still juggle the commitment of our own competitive career. As a side effect
we have no spare time but we love what we do. It also helps to have family and friends who are supportive and
understand that our visits are far and few between but are happy to catch up when we are able to.
Who are your current coaches?
Since 2007 and from Level 3, Ross Heidke has been our coach in both New Vogue and Ballroom. We are
also currently enjoying lessons with Glen Tierney and Mary Barratt Thompson when they are in Brisbane for
Ballroom. Their input is greatly appreciated.
We would like to give a big shout out to Ross who has been an amazing coach, mentor and friend over the last
9 years. We wouldn’t have achieved what we have without him.
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OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
Photo courtesy of Jarrod & Jayne, thank you.
Pg 37
THE QUESTIONS YOU ALWAYS
WANTED TO ASK!
Who or what inspires you or has inspired you over the years?
Jayne - Growing up I used to watch the Australian Championships on Christmas night, tape it and then have it
on repeat for the rest of the year. I used to watch all the dancers but especially loved watching Jason Gilkison
and Peta Roby.
Jarrod - Growing up in the country I would watch the Aussies each year without fail. Stefano Olivieri and Natalie
Lowe were my stand out couple. I wanted to one day be like them and experience the feeling of walking down
the Aussie stairs.
Who makes your outts?
My current outfit was made by Martha Williams and previously all my other dresses were made by June
designs. Both designers are really professional and have produced dresses that I love. Jayne would also like to
say a big thank you to her sponsor Michiko Prowse who supplies her with all her hair pieces.
What is your favourite competition and why?
Our favourite competition would have to be the Australian Championships. It is the pinnacle of the dancing year
in Australia. Everything during the year is in preparation for the Aussies. It is a great venue, well run competition
and there is nothing like walking down the stairs in the finals.
However there are a number of great competitions in Australia. We love competing and travel a lot, so we love
all of them. Our top few would be the Queensland Open, Southern Cross, Premiere and Luna Park.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
We have had many highlights over the years ticking off personal goals as we go. Winning the Australian New
Vogue Championships in 2012 for the first time was a dream come true. Then winning it for a second time in
2013 and turning professional was also very special. Another highlight from earlier in our career was that we
won Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 New Vogue at the Aussies in consecutive years.
What would you want to be if you were not a dancer?
Jayne - I would love to work with animals especially horses.
Jarrod - I would want to do something to help people eg. Counselling, Fireman or Batman :-)
What would you change about Ballroom Dancing/Dancesport if you could?
We would like to see the sport marketed to the broader community a bit more. It would be great to have an
audience at competitions that consisted more of the general public and not just dancers. This would enhance
the atmosphere, possibly increase the take up of the sport, make sponsorship opportunities available and
hopefully increase profits for the organisers.
OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
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OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
Photo courtesy of Jarrod & Jayne, thank you.
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OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
OFF THE FLOOR INTERVIEW
Photos courtesy of Jarrod & Jayne, thank you.
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Vale
Maxwell Bond 1931-2015
By: Kelli Brogan
Throughout the years Dancesport in Australia has witnessed the making of many champions, seen many
changes, lost some people that have been pivotal to the way the industry has been shaped, and identified
people who have paved the way for the dancing that we witness today. Recently our industry lost an icon with
the passing of Mr Maxwell Bond at the age of 84.
Maxwell bond was born on January 8th 1931 and took up ballroom dancing (Dancesport) at the age of 18
under the instruction of Hec and Isabel Tasker. From the moment that Max Bond took the floor as a beginner
in 1950 at the age of 19 he was undefeated in any competition or at any level right through to his
career to retirement.
Five years after starting his dance career, Max teamed up with Norma Connelly, who together would go on
to create history.
In 1955 Max and Norma, while trained by Hec and Isabel Tasker, their sole New Vogue Coaches, did something
that was instrumental to the way New Vogue is danced in Australia today. THEY BROKE HOLD. Norma was
from a theatrical background and Max was never afraid to try something new and so the breaking of hold
began and evolved in this country.
In 1959 Norma and Max opened a studio in Hillside Parade, Strathmore, teaching approximately 60 couples.
The studio remained open from 1959 to 1972. This studio was instrumental in teaching many champions.
In 1962 at Festival Hall in Melbourne, one of the most memorable moments in Max and Norma’s career and
in the history of Australian Dancesport took place. Max and Norma, trained by Mr Mascot Pall, performed
that night a routine titled “SLAUGHTER ON 10TH AVENUE” (see front cover for image). Not only was their
performance sensational in its own right but etched both of them in the history books, with them taking out the
World Championship Title. The sole judge in this event that night was Mr Alex Moore of England.
During their time together Max and Norma were also frequently seen on many popular Channel 2 television shows
like; “Old Time Ballroom”, Saturday Night Party” and “Today Tonight”. Their appearances on these shows
lasted for around 3 years along with many of the couples that they taught. They were also asked during this time
to take part in a television series in Perth, but Max and Norma declined due to their studio commitments.
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1964 saw the establishment of the AUSTRALIAN DANCING BOARD, which would go on to Govern Ballroom
Dancing in Australia for many years. Max Bond was appointed the first Chairman of the board, a position that
he took very seriously and was honoured to have held.
In later years after Max and Norma parted ways, they still remained good friends. Max went on to marry and
have a family. He has three children Adam, Madeleine and Alyssa and two grandchildren Jessica and
Mikala. Max loved fishing, tinkering with things and spending time with his family most of all. However he still
continued to teach with Norma right up to 2002, when his health stopped him from continuing.
Max Bond was a man that was incredibly kind and generous to all. He lived his life with passion and was
way ahead of his time. Norma attributes three quarters of what she knows to Max, and when asked what
she remembers most about Max Bond she can be heard quoting these words said to her by Max on many
occasions, “You know Norma; I have forgotten more than you will ever know”.
Editors Note: Thank you to Kelli Brogan, one of max and Norma’s students for
many years for sending us this wonderful piece of history about Max Bond and his
career. Our thoughts are with max’s family and friends during this time.
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