Ballito ballroom maestros compete at Blackpool Dance Festival
Van den Bergs prepare for final competitive dance competitions.
Ballito’s renowned ballroom dance couple Ryno and Elena van den Berg is bringing the curtain down on their illustrious competitive career.
But with their last tango set for London in October, they are not quite done yet and are still in peak form.
Representing South Africa for the last time at the Blackpool Dance Festival in England last month, the fleet-footed North Coast maestros are gearing up for their final two acts before they focus on sharing their expertise with local talent at their Passion for Dance Studio.
“Walking onto the floor at Blackpool was indeed a special and emotional experience, especially dancing to the traditional Blackpool music.
Photo Credit: Tomasz Reindl.
“Dancing in the world-famous winter gardens was something we have dreamed of for many years at the beginning of our careers,” said the Van den Bergs.
Since then they have competed in the Blackpool festival on 15 occasions with some top six finishes against 300 professional contenders.
While they didn’t make the cut last month, they were nevertheless thrilled about the opportunity to showcase their skills.
“It’s not always about winning or making grand finals. Sometimes just to be on that floor competing with the best in the world is more than enough,” said Ryno.
On the pressure of competing at the highest level, he said dedication, commitment and relentless rehearsing are the key components of success.
This is what helped 54-year-old Ryno and 46-year-old Elena retain a competitive edge and staying power for so many years.
“We are currently dancing at our absolute best and blessed that we are still in very good shape and injury-free.”
They have been invited to compete in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October and then the last stop at the London International Championships later the same month.
The Van den Bergs began their dancing journey in 2014 when their shared love for dancing eventually blossomed into marriage in 2019.
“This is the beauty of ballroom dancing. You spend such a great deal of time training together and working towards your goals, that couples cannot avoid falling in love.”
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