Rosie Ward And David Cockram Become BD Dance Ambassadors And Reveal Their Best Tips From The Dance Floor
In the world of Ballroom Dancing, everything you do is a competition - either with yourself by trying to overcome your limits, with others by trying to win that title you trained so hard for or with your day-to-day life by trying to balance your personal life with a sports career. But that’s what makes Ballroom Dancing such a wonderful sport.
Always driven to aim higher, your personality develops in such a way that you become an achiever, no obstacle is too big for you and you take on every challenge that life may throw at you. This is how champions are born!
BD Dance is a well established brand in the world of Ballroom Dancing, the choice of world champions, passionate dancers, aspiring athletes, ballroom students and teachers. We believe that every step has potential and every athlete needs support in their journey towards their highest goals.
We have recently entered the UK world of Ballroom Dancing in search for eager dancers that are ready to take on their next challenge, aiming to stand by their side on their journey to success.
As we take our first steps in the British ballrooms, we are happy to announce our first ambassadors in the UK - Rosie Ward and David Cockram, two young athletes with great potential and remarkable results. They are a driven couple who started climbing the ladder to success in the WDC competitions and who have already won some of the most coveted titles in Britain, such as the Under 21 British National Championships.
We would love to share with you the thoughts, some tips and insights of two hard working performing dancers. We have asked Rosie and David a few questions about their life, dance career and evolution as dancers and you can find their answers below:
When did you first start dancing? Do you remember your first dance lesson?
Rosie: I started dancing age 5 as my mum had been advised by my school teachers to take me to a drama or dance academy to exert some of my energy. We had just moved to a new area and so my mum took me along to the closest dance school that had just opened. She had no idea it was for ballroom and latin, but I remember being very excited and eager to go back for more.
David: I started dancing age 10 at my local dance school. I remember it well as my sister had wanted me to go for years but I only ever wanted to play football. When we moved to full size football pitches and goals I was too short to be the goalkeeper, so I gave in to my sister and tried dancing instead. I loved it and danced my first big competition at Blackpool within 6 weeks.
When did you start dancing together?
We started dancing together in June 2018, so 18 months ago. We were both told individually by teachers in the past that we would be a good match for each other, but the circumstances and timing was never right. In June we both found ourselves without partners so it was an easy decision to get started.
We know you have achieved some great results, what is the most memorable competition/result you had so far? Why is it so significant to you?
Rosie: For me, the most memorable result so far was not on a competition floor. This year we were asked to perform at the televised Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen and the entire Royal Family. Although I know this isn’t a competitive result, it felt like such a great achievement and special moment as in Britain this is such an important and significant event for our history. Dancing has provided us with so many opportunities and I remember whilst dancing thinking how truly grateful I am for moments like this.
David: It is either between winning the U21 British National Championships, or making the final of the British Open U21 Championships. I remember the first time I walked into the Winter Gardens age ten and heard the band playing; it was a feeling like no other. From that moment on, it was always my dream to be a British Champion, so to finally achieve it felt incredibly significant. With the British Open, although I have made the International and World U21 final, there is something extra special about doing this in Blackpool so this also holds significance for me.
David and Rosie at the British National Championships 2019
What challenges do you currently face in your journey to success?
Time management is always our biggest challenge. It is very difficult to balance our time in the best way and to know where we need to be and when, to ensure that we get the best out of our dancing and training. We have to work enough to fund our dancing but not so much that it affects our performance, so it is a very busy life and we are still searching (and probably always will be) for the right amount of everything.
What piece of advice would you give to those wanting to become better dancers?
We believe that of course it is very important to practice and work very hard to become better dancers. However, for us it also is extremely important to always believe in yourself and who you are. The nature of a dancer is to always look for faults, errors and to compare ourselves to other dancers to help improve our performances. The pressures can be very strong, but for us it’s really important that along the way you don’t lose yourself in the process- that you can still find inspiration in the world around you and enjoy. “Be the best version of yourself” is the best advice we have been given.
Rosie and David - Champions of Sofia Open Dance Festival 2019
When and how did you discover the BD Dance shoes? We know that you have been using them for some time now.
Rosie: I discovered BD Dance at Blackpool this year. Shoes have always been a problem for me as I suffer with heel spurs that make my feet irregular in size and can cause me pain, so I have great difficulty in finding shoes that can fit my foot without them falling off or hurting my feet. Before finding BD Dance, I was buying new shoes nearly every month and trying lots of different companies but still not finding the right shoe that worked for me. David has always recommended BD Dance, so in Blackpool I tried the shoes on and immediately felt how supportive and comfortable they are. I wore the shoes in the competition that day and had no problems at all. I really love how comfortable the shoe is and how they look, and of course I love the shape and comfort of the shoe around the heel, as this is the area I have previously had issues with.
David: I started wearing BD Dance shoes in 2015 when I spent some time training in Estonia. Everybody in the studio was wearing BD so I gave them a try and since then I have only worn BD. The shoes are really flexible but also supportive and I particularly like the placement of the heel on the shoe, plus they look good and have plenty of innovative styles to choose from. I was really pleased to see BD Dance UK at Blackpool this year, as previously I’ve always had to order my shoes from overseas.
How important is it to choose quality shoes and outfits? Does this influence your overall performance in any way?
Rosie: Having suffered previously with my feet, the choice of quality shoes is of the utmost importance. I have definitely experienced shoes in the past that feel like they’re restricting me from being my best as they cause me pain or do not give adequate support. I think the choice of shoes and outfits absolutely affects your overall performance as you want to feel that you look your best and most importantly that you’re able to dance your best. Dancing starts with the feet, so the right shoes are vital.
David: The overall look of a couple is very important so the choice has to be right. If you feel good, you will dance well, so having a shoe that suits you and that you’re comfortable in can absolutely enhance your performance to the next level.
Rosie and David
We find ourselves at the beginning of a new year. What are your goals for 2020? Any big competitions coming up?
We have another very busy year ahead of us, both at home and abroad, starting with the UK Open this month which we are currently training for. Of course our goal is to push our results further both Nationally and Internationally, but the only goal we can truly monitor and have control of is our own performance, so we are working hard this year to be the best versions of ourselves.
Rosie and David - The new BD Dance Brand Ambassadors for UK
In case you are wondering, David’s favourite BD Dance shoe style is 302-1 and Rosie wears Style 138 with a EH 10 heel.
We’re very excited to start our collaboration and journey together with this promising couple and we send them a big thank you for this insight into their journey to success.
