Line dancers, Kevin Ellis and Edlena Leslie-Smith won several awards at the World Dance Masters European Championships in Belfast . The two have only been dancing together since August.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo
SOUTH African line dancing duo Kevin Ellis and Edlena Leslie-Smith twirled their way to the top and returned home from the World Dance Masters European Championships in Belfast as champions. They made a clean sweep in one of the toughest competitions in the country-western dance scene, bagging six trophies and two medals a few days ago.
“Edlena and I won the Partners Country and Western section, which is one of the hardest sections to win. We were also runners-up in Rising Star and in Charity Duos, and won Senior Duos undefeated.”
In addition, Ellis also won the Solos trophy, undefeated for the past five years. “And I was only allowed one suitcase,” laughed Ellis, recalling the excitement and the pressure of being at the top of his game.
The triple European champion who is undefeated in several categories says that he and Leslie-Smith have only been dancing together since August, but already have an instinctive connection on the dancefloor that few ever achieve in a lifetime. Leslie-Smith was only introduced to line dancing when she partnered with Ellis last year.
Leslie-Smith says one of her favourite memories came during the Charity Duos event, where they performed a playful Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley-themed number.
“It’s a comical act and we still did it with choreography. We stylized it so that it was very captivating, and we scored a second with that — which was pretty good,” she said.
Line dancers, Kevin Ellis and Edlena Leslie-Smith won several awards at the World Dance Masters European Championships in Belfast . The two have only been dancing together since August.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo
The two twirled and waltzed and flexed their muscles as they spoke about their achievements but emphasised that it took a lot of sacrifice to get to the top. “We don't just dance, we are endurance athletes,” said Leslie-Smith.
She and her husband Mark have been doing ballroom dancing for 25 years and even represented South Africa overseas. As South African ballroom dance champions they’ve also participated in the British Open and set the floor alight at the world dance championships in Blackpool, five times, which she describes as the ultimate achievement in dance.
“I own a beauty salon so I'm all about health and wellness. I'm all about taking care of myself and those that are in my world. So this fits in beautifully with my profession and my lifestyle and my ethos,” she said.
Now, in her fifties, she’s determined to inspire other women to embrace dance — and self-expression — at any stage in life.
“Line dancing and country-western dancing affords you the ability to dance throughout your life. It’s kinder to your body. We don’t have to wear high heels. The costumes are delightful. They’re a form of self-expression, and it’s a new world for me as well — and I’m enjoying it.”
Ellis, 62, emphasised that talent alone didn't get them to the top. Both of them are health conscious and have to stay fit and flexible to be on top of their game.
Apart from burning up the dance floor, Ellis is also a well known choreographer, stylist, dance teacher and invited designer to the Durban July and J&B Met where he has scooped an impressive number of prizes.
This weekend he and his troupe of dancers are performing at Splashy Fen, South Africa’s longest running music festival which takes place in the Drakensberg every Easter. Apart from a series of shows up his sleeve, his next mission is to take dancing to townships and other outlying areas so that children can experience the magic that changed his life.
“My last dream of my career, which has spanned 60 years, is for Adeline and I to win the world champs but we don't know how we're going to do it because of funding,” said Ellis.