Nicole Cutler

Having had a little time to take in the magnificence of the 100th anniversary of the Blackpool Dance Festival, I feel deeply honoured to have been invited to adjudicate.

The Blackpool Dance Festival is not simply another competition. It is one of the great stages of our art form, where history, discipline, ambition and tradition have met for a century.

My own connection with it began in 1990, when I travelled from South Africa for my very first Blackpool experience. For a young dancer from so far away, simply being there felt extraordinary. Blackpool was the dream, as it was for so many dancers then, and remains for so many now.

Over the years, that same ballroom carried me through many stages of my competitive life, from Youth finalist to Amateur Champion, and later as a Professional finalist. What stays with me most is not only the results, but the friendships formed, the memories made, and that unmistakable feeling of walking onto the Blackpool floor and stepping into a history that had meaning long before I first experienced it myself.

To return in this anniversary year, with the memory of dancing there and the responsibility of judging, is something I will always cherish and deeply value.

Across an event that now spans an extraordinary two weeks, it was moving to see every competitor, official, musician, volunteer, spectator and supporter playing their part in giving the Blackpool Dance Festival its life.

Congratulations to Mrs Natalie Hayes, Festival Organiser, along with Nicky Miles and the entire team, for carrying such a historic Festival through its anniversary year.

With gratitude for the past, and with respect for all who continue to carry it forward.

I had the pleasure of adjudicating recently at The Open Worlds Dance Championship, where the music reminded me, once again, why it matters so deeply.

Dance is often described as music made visible, and when the music is played with such care, depth and understanding, it gives the dancers something real to respond to.

The LP Swing Orchestra, under the superb guidance of Joe Pettitt, provided the most beautiful music throughout the event. For the dancers, it offered rhythm, atmosphere and inspiration. For me, standing on stage so close to the orchestra, it was a real privilege to hear and feel that sound from what may have been the best seat in the house.

Music is never just accompaniment. It shapes the room, supports the dancing, and gives the whole event its life.

With appreciation to Paul Killick, Andy Batara, the LP Swing Orchestra, and all the dancers who brought the music into movement.

We tend to spend a great deal of time on movement, technique, and timing.
The music itself is often given less attention.

Not simply whether it suits the dance,
but whether it suits the dancer at that point in their development.

Music has its own structure, its own tone, its own intention.
Whether a dancer understands it or not, the body still responds.

Over time, those responses become habits.

This is not about limiting choice,
or suggesting that there is a single way music should be selected.

But it is worth considering whether the music being used
is helping a dancer understand what they are doing,
or asking them to produce something they haven’t yet learned to recognise.

It is a small consideration, but not an insignificant one.

“Dance is music made visible.” - George Balanchine