Hard work, dedication and a little bit of chemistry can make a winning combination on the dance floor and this is something Lambton’s Courtney Nicholl (21) and Boksburg’s Selandea Mc Guinness (19) have in abundance.
The pair, who each have numerous ballroom and Latin American dancing championship titles under their belts, have only been dancing together since March 2016 and are already taking the dancing world by storm.
This was apparent when the couple placed first at the prestigious New York Dance Festival, recently.
This was the second medal for the couple in America as only days earlier they placed second at the Eastern Dancesport Competition, in Boston.
Courtney and Selandea travelled to America as one of four couples selected to represent South Africa.
The pair started dancing together after Courtney’s previous partner abruptly started looking for a new dance partner.
“I didn’t even know that she was looking for a new partner when I got a message from Selandea asking when we should schedule a dance trial,” said Courtney with a smile.
“I saw a post from his previous dance partner on Facebook and didn’t waste any time messaging him, not realising he wasn’t aware of the post,” Selandea said with a laugh.
They clicked immediately and started competing together after only a few weeks of practice, earning their South African colours in December 2016.
When asked what they enjoyed most about their time in America, both agreed that it was the level of competition they faced, as well as the opportunity to join workshops presented by top international dancers.
“We were in awe at the workshops because it really isn’t something we would get the chance to do in South Africa,” Selandea said excitedly.
“We were very lucky that the whole trip was paid for which afforded us the opportunity to attend these workshops and events and meet the people we did,” said Courtney.
The dedicated couple, who practice dancing six days a week, are trained by renowned instructor Harold van Buuren.
“We train almost every evening together when Courtney finishes work, no matter how late, and will see Harold for more fine tune training once or twice a week,” said Selandea.
“The lessons with Harold and training sessions will be more frequent and intense the closer we get to a competition,” added Courtney.
However, dancing is not the only thing the pair focuses on as a team.
They also go to gym together and help each other stay focused on their eating plans, all the things that go into making a winning combination on the dance floor.
The pair easily juggles work, studies and dancing because their passion for dancing is so strong.
“It is never a question of can we fit in our dancing, we just fit everything else in around it,” Selandea explained.
Both hope that this can-do attitude and the chemistry they have as a couple will help them strive to reach new heights in both their ballroom and Latin American dancing careers, though they are more focused on Latin American at the moment.
They both hope that their success will help place South Africa on the international dance map.
Now Courtney and Selandea will turn their attention to preparing for the Dutch Open, to be held in Assen, in November and the World Competition, to be held in December.
The pair encourage people of all ages to get involved in the sport, to help it grow.
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