Looking on the forums I have found the list of past dancecompetition winners below. They might not all be accurate and names might havechanged since then (also my spelling is rubbish!)

Can anyone think of anymore champs and how to find them? Ta

Angie Lawrence

Steve Ceaser

Steve Daniels

Simon Omeily

Frank Booper

Vernon

Sue Booth

Chris Hurley

Janey Nichols

Steve Daniels

Saw Angie Lawrence at Gloucester allnighter a week ago

pretty sure a guy called sparky won the 6th anni comp

You don't state which dance competions. There must be many over the years.

The World Northern Soul Dancing Champions from 2006 are listed at www.goldsoul.co.uk

Thought Carol Mcarthy was one.

The World Northern Soul Dancing Champions from 2006 are listed at www.goldsoul.co.uk

but you dont state which world. yours, or everybody else's

You don't state which dance competions. There must be many over the years.

Sorry I wasn't clear I was thinking of winners who over theyears have won multiple comps. Can be anytime since the beginning to now!

but you dont state which world. yours, or everybody else's

It's true there are two worlds, thanks for picking up on that. But I think it would be safer to ask the question in everyone else's world. I think I always win the competitions in mine.

I have seen Sue Booth once since Yate closed, it was a number of years ago in Stoke at a Modern niter

at Jolleys. We had a surreal but hilarious exchange/chat in the ladies toilets.

Exactly as I had remembered her.

Karen x

Thought Carol Mcarthy was one.

She's still got the moves

The World Northern Soul Dancing Champions from 2006 are listed at www.goldsoul.co.uk

No disrespect Kev ...

but i think the poster is referring to winners at Wigan ..circa 70's .....i'm sure if he meant the "WORLD CHAMPIONS" he'd have specifically asked

Jethro Wolverhampton

Sandy holt Bolton

Vinnie Bradford ???

Think these fantastic dancers won Wigan

Jethro Wolverhampton

Sandy holt Bolton

Vinnie Bradford ???

Think these fantastic dancers won Wigan

Stewie Pinder from Darlington used to win a few up hear in the North East in the 70s.Dunelm House in Durham comes to mind,76? .

The winners for the anniversary nights which I went to were;

1978: Sandy Holt (dancing to Surprise Party for Baby + Don't it make you feel funky = one other)

1979: Sparky (dancing to Captain of my ship + two others)

1981 Vernon (Can't remeber the records from this one)

Sorry that should have read vernon think he was from Bradford but I'm not sure ??

Steve Daniels is still alive, just, and in a wheel chair linving in Peterborough. He came to a funeral I was at a few months back .

Oh No

I cann't believe that Danny Daniels (Steve) is in a wheelchair. He was probably one of the best dancers I have ever seen in my very long time on the scene. I was with him the night he won that dancing competition as he had been staying in Crewe. Think we had gone to the Carlton Club in Warrington prior to the nighter....but that could of been the year after. I had heard he had had a rough few years, but to end up in a wheelchair is such a tragedy.

He could spin like no other!

x

am sure frankie lucas won at dunelm house he beat tony rocco from clithero in the final

Hi,

Yes, Vernon was/is from Bradford. Also, good my friend, Steve Caesar (who originates from Leeds), is well and living in London - spoke to him last week.

Regards,

V.

Vernon now living in Bolton, but gets back to God's Country now and then.

Phil

See him everyday he works with us first time he is ready for work on time,will be the first time.

Hi folks, is Frank Booper the same Booper I saw at the Torch in the seventys, god he was a good spinner. What happened to Hector from Derby new him well, when we went to Torch, Beau Brummel and the Mecca.

Tez

See him everyday he works with us first time he is ready for work on time,will be the first time.

Yep. That is one guy who will deffo be late for his own funeral

last time i heard of hector he was dj ing at the old english in matlock mid 70 swith nick carter -he might know he s got a motor sales place over matlock way

Looking on the forums I have found the list of past dancecompetition winners below. They might not all be accurate and names might havechanged since then (also my spelling is rubbish!)

Can anyone think of anymore champs and how to find them? Ta

Angie Lawrence

Steve Ceaser

Steve Daniels

Simon Omeily

Frank Booper

Vernon

Sue Booth

Chris Hurley

Janey Nichols

Steve Daniels

1974/75

Hi .

I won the  one of the first dance competitions at Wigan casino.  I won it to Come on Train.

the prize was £100 which was quite a lot of money in  1974/75 !

 

mike the manager was still alive then, and I was asked to go on Top of the Pops with a few other dancers from the club.

some did go but I turned down the offer as I felt it was making our special soul scene too commercial!

 

not sure if I did the right thing!  It would have been a good to show the family!

however I as in a group on the cover of the worst sould record in history... footsie!  At least the was 7 days on the b side !!

 

i have been to the Blackburn gig a few times and seen Richard Searling and have been photographed dancing ther.

 

you never loose your love for Northern soul.. It is truly special music and  can't help but dance.  I still love to dance.

 

 

 

Kev Laws (Norwich) won the dance comp at Peterborough Fleet once many moons ago. No acrobatics, just decent footwork!

 

Regards

 

Mark C

There were and probably still are, fantastic dancers, who have never entered a dance competition. If you are, or were a dancer, you know. You also know who else is/was better than you. You rank people from YOUR top 10, and place yourself accordingly. N.S dance competitions are either judged by DJ's ( who usually can't dance ), or the crowd, (who usually dance for fun and applaud loudest for their home town competitor, or the best acrobat). In my opinion, the dancers I admired and copied, didn't do it for a show-off 15 minutes, They did it for hours, pushed the limits and embraced new styles, I don't need to mention their names, they know who they are !

Not sure about this thread. There were so many dance competitions back in the 70's. A starting point would be to list the venues and dates then solicit contributions. Wigan has been covered in an earlier thread. For the archives and for a good general read, this is a worthwhile exercise. The competition winners 40 years ago were legends then and still are now  - each had their own moves and were admired for what they brought to the scene. Somewhere along the way, things changed and competitions nowadays are little more than a jolly jape bunged in to liven up an event, and an opportunity for exhibitionists to perform rhythmic gymnastics for YouTube contributors.

image.jpg

Janie. As you were invited to join the Wigan's Chosen Few dance crew that featured on Top of The Pops? Who did the inviting and how were the dancers selected?

Edited May 8, 201411 yr by FRANKIE CROCKER

Little Mark 'Simmo' Simmonds from Notts, had a couple of years in St Helens 79 - 81, he is still about, top dancer and still spinning!

Janie/all -

 

I was sat with my mum and dad when that came on 'Tops of the Pops' and I loved seeing the energy. For all the politics, it was dynamic and excited me...made me want to dance like that! I remember what my dad said (he is 91 this year):- "What the hell are they bloody doing son?" I pi**ed myself. I was 19 or there abouts. I said 'Dad, they are dancing the night away to great soul records and not on the street causing trouble'!! He replied 'If I had the money, I would open one of those places in Hull'..it was so funny...his jaw was on the floor watching.  It made me feel special as unbeknown I was on a similar journey and only learning about Wigan etc. Happy days...and there should be no regrets......that inspired many people I know it did. We used to talk about it and invent steps. I still do because of it.  In fact, I was practising at the Torquay Soul Weekender just gone. Big massive dance floor...love it. Thank you Wigan and all the other venues......

 

Talking of which...how about this kitty dancing to Frank Wilson:

 

Edited May 14, 201411 yr by Carl Dixon

Danny Daniels r.i.p bless him,champion spinner,never seen anyone match him since,blew them away at Wigan when he was only 16 years old only wish there had been video cameras around to record his brilliance.Lovely lad,heart of gold and sadly passed on about a year back.Dannys spinning needed  to be seen to be believed and then it required a double take to make sure you werent dreaming,Will go down in legend as the bloke who won the moped when he won the dancing competition at Wigan second anniversary I do believe.Danny you were a real diamond always smiling with time for people even when and going through as you did many many years of severely painful crippling illness peace to you mate the way you dealt with your illness,how you  managed to stay as cheerfull as you did  with the time you always had for others was inspirational to many around you.

Edited May 14, 201410 yr by manusf3a

Want to agree with what northbound has said..Simon doing it then n doing it now!!