PROFILE
DANCE: Professional Latin | PARTNERS SINCE: February 2004 | REPRESENT: England | PLACES OF BIRTH: Andrew: Nuneaton, United Kingdom | Amy: Birmingham, United Kingdom | BASED: AURA Dance Studios, Solihull, UK.
ACHIEVEMENTS: We have danced together for 12 years, which I think is one of our greatest achievements. (Amy deserves a medal!). In the 12 years we have danced together we have competed across Junior, Youth, Amateur and now Professional. We have won UK and British National Under 21 Latin Championships, the youngest couple to do so, Amy being 15 and Andrew being 17. We then were ranked in the top 6 British Amateur Latin couples for 7 years making all National finals. We turned Professional in October 2015 and immediately were ranked in the top 6 Pro couples in the UK. Internationally we were selected to represent England in 11 IDSF World and European Championships. We were WDC AL European Championship Semi-Finalists in Amateur and most recently were bronze medallists in Pro RS Fred Astaire Cup.
CHOSEN SHOES: Andrew: 'Rumba' | Amy: 'LTB' (Click the shoe names to view)
DANCE TALK
FAVOURITE DANCE: Andrew: It depends on my mood, but probably Paso Doble | Amy: Cha Cha, I enjoy the interaction with each other in that dance.
FAVOURITE COMPETITION/VENUE: Andrew: Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Its the home of dancing! I also have loved competing in the Stadthalle in Wuppertal and also the Rosengarten in Mannheim. I love the classic and historic ballrooms or music halls. | Amy: Winter Gardens, it has a special atmosphere, I love everything about it! It has the Blackpool Magic!
BEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER: Winning the UK Closed Under 21 Latin in Bournemouth, it was our first National titles together and we had been vice-champions in England throughout Junior. This was the big breakthrough for us and from then on we never looked back, making UK Closed Amateur final and winning the British Under 21 Latin Championships, it was a really successful year, which led to many more! Another one of our favourite moments came when we danced our first Professional competition at the Internationals in October. Nobody knew that we had turned Professional and it was an amazing feeling to go out onto the floor and really take everyone by surprise, the support we received that day and since in our Pro career has been incredible!
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COMPETITION: We are always practising and breaking down our choreography and actions to continually further our understanding of and dance and our own abilities; but when it gets close to a competition it becomes much more about finding a special energy between us that is going to be our focus for the competition. Its a way to make every competition different and special, all the major comps are very individual and that means our preparation for them must be different. We work together to create goals, plans and objectives tailored for that competition. It helps keep us fresh and focussed no matter what we do, and we always strive to find that special energy within the couple.
HOW TO RELAX AFTER A COMPETITION: Often its hard to relax afterwards as there is either another competition coming straight up or we are still on a high from the event that drives us into another creative period. If we do have time to relax, we love to go to the theatre and watch a play, musical or dance performance or we try to go to the cinema and see a film. We also have lots of really nice meals to make up for our regulated diet leading up to the comp!
MOST RESPECTED OPPONENT COUPLE: I think its really important to respect every couple on the floor, its important to remember that they are all going through exactly what you are going through. Sometimes competition creates 'competitors' and people can become absorbed with beating a certain person or getting a particular result, but really when we are on the floor we are all artists creating our own individual art, and that is what is to be respected.
ADVICE FOR ANY YOUNG DANCER READING THIS: You have to believe in yourself, respect each other and respect the partnership. We believe that, most importantly, you have to enjoy your dancing, otherwise why do it? Dance with your heart full of joy and passion for dance, no result or disappointment should take that away. We all want to be successful, but if you can always love what you do, then that is a success in itself.
DANCE WORLD ICON/INSPIRATION: Andrew: Im inspired by lots of male dancers, but I have always idolised Slavik Kryklyvvy, Franco Formica and Evgeny Smagin. I have more recently been inspired by dancers from outside the Ballroom and Latin world, such as dancers in Matthew Bournes' company New Adventures. | Amy: Shirley Ballas. I love her energy, vivacity and her natural talent; as well as the love she shows to her couples.
SHOE TALK
WHY CHOOSE INTERNATIONAL DANCE SHOES?: International Dance Shoes are very comfortable! They are the most supportive and easy to wear dance shoes around! We love the team at International, they are always willing to create the perfect shoe for an individual and are happy to go out of their way to help. They have been a sponsor of ours since 2007, a honour we are very grateful for! We love the shoes, the team and everything IDS have to offer!
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES OF A DANCE SHOE?: Stability in dance shoes is the most important feature, comfort and design are important too but if the shoes support you and do everything to help the dancer then you cant ask for more!
AWAY FROM DANCE
FAVOURITE SPORT AWAY FROM DANCE: Andrew: NBA, NFL and College Football | Amy: Tennis
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Andrew: Disney World! I'm a big kid really! | Amy: Florida
FAVOURITE FILM: Andrew: Back to the Future | Amy: Bridget Jones / Singing in the Rain
FAVOURITE MUSIC ACT/ARTIST: Andrew: Miles Davies | Amy: Michael Jackson
INTERESTING FACT: Andrew: This is the hardest question on here.... I'm not very interesting! I don't know if this counts as interesting but I have written, directed and produced my own play, which was put on in a factory in Birmingham, I also acted in it. | Amy: I appeared on CBBC's Exchange with my previous juvenile partner Jonathan Jones. I had to swap dancing for weightlifting.
TEACHING, LESSONS & BOOKINGS
We teach private lessons, group lessons, workshops and wedding dances for people of all ages and ability; from beginner to elite level competitors. We teach Ballroom and Latin but also offer lessons in Salsa, Latin Rhythm, Contemporary and Jazz. We teach in a wide range of locations across the Midlands and Warwickshire but the majority of our lessons are done in AURA Dance Studios in Solihull. To contact us, email andrisandamy@hotmail.com. Visit our website too: www.andrewandamy.co.uk, and the website for the studio we teach at is www.auradancestudios.co.uk. Our other links are below..
GET FOLLOWING
Andrew Escolme & Amy Baker Official Facebook Page
Andrew & Amy on Instagram (@andrew_amy_dance)
Photography Credits:
Main Sponsors Page - Rob Porter Photography (Click here)
Header Image - Rob Porter Photography (Click here)