The Little Mermaid

I wanna be where the people are,

I wanna see

Wanna see 'em dancin', w

alkin' around on those

(Whad'ya call 'em?) oh - feet

Flippin' your fins you don't get too far

Legs are required for jumpin', dancin'

Strollin' along down a

(what's that word again?) street

Up where they walk, u

p where they run

Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wanderin' free, w

ish I could be

Part of that world

Part of your World
The Little Mermaid, Disney

18 May 2009

OMG! OMG! Neil R from Fever Media phoned this morning – I was grunting my way through another tortuous stretch on power plate – when he started phoning and kept phoning until I answered…The powers that be at Fever M and BBC3 have changed their minds – still only six contestants (was originally due to be 7) but they want me in the final six! Cannot believe it – I had cried on phone with N when he called to say hadn’t made it through on Friday but soon got over it – esp as got trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas to look forward to with P – but now…well I’m going to be learning to wheelie dance – with the fabulous Brian…

Loving the dancing bits already – not sure about having cameras around all the time though – and worried about partner to be – am petrified that if it is strictly professionals I will get Brendan bad boy of ballroom Cole, instead of the lovely Ian Waite who seems, well to be a nice person, and patient…and patience is def a prerequsitie – had underestimated how difficult it is to learn to dance – the counts (maths never my strong point!) and trying to understand exactly what Brian (and Pippa) want…

21 May 2009
Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better – it Does!

Surely, today one of the best days of my life. The weather was glorious – full bodied Spring day, air heavy with delightful perfumes of nature and I was training with Pippa in a tiny church hall – and she took me for a waltz to lovely music, and it was so lovely, brought tears to my eyes. And then was picked up by Fever Media to go to meet my new dance partner. OMG!

As we (Howard, the cameraman, and I) pulled into the grounds of the Harrow School, my heart began beating really, really fast, past the sporting fields, past the cricket score-board and my brain started to pull up all these images from previous Strictly Come Dancing, images not of the pro-dancers (which is all I had been concentrating on) but of the ‘celebrity partners’. Especially the cricket pavilion and scoreboard. . .

Mark Ramprakash. . .

Darren Gough…

. . .my personal history…my love for cricket! (Ed: cricket-er?) Began to feel so nervous started to perspire, felt a tad nauseous. Staggered from car, got wheelie out, all in a bit of a daze. Went to loo to try to compose myself, forgot I was miked up. Cursed a fair bit. Only when came out did I smell the chlorine and said to David the director – ‘swimming pool - is that a bit of hint then?’

It dawned on me only then how very clever the Fever Media team have been in keeping this such a surprise, but the pure fact of the situation only occurred to me at that instant – us competitors had been told what the ‘prize’ is for the winners – to compete in the Wheelie Dancing European Championships – an IPC regulated sport, which meant that it is for amateurs only, and our dancing partners couldn’t possibly be Professionals.

As I wheeled through to the pool area, I thought of the very gorgeous Mark Foster, celebrity contestant on SCD last year – he of the much discussed black mesh/see-through top.

And there he was! My Mr Neptune! In the swimming pool armed with nothing more than a pair of speedos and a winning smile! Gorgeous! And it was, LIKE AT FIRST SIGHT!

I remember wanting to hug him, but he was so wet from the pool, inside I was sooooo relieved. If it had been a cricketer, well, I very possibly would have fainted out of my wheelie at the co-incidence. First impressions? As beautiful inside as without. Warm, friendly, personable, just a natural, gentle-giant type of person. My cup runneth over, truly, I am blessed.

So we are literally two fishes out of water (he Mr Neptune, Me, the Mermaid) on the dance-floor, can we join together in dance and create a little bit of magic? The odds seem to be stacked against us but right now don’t really care. Think I have struck lucky with Mr Neptune, have a feeling that we are going to be friends and that is just wonderful.

PS Have discovered already that Mr Foster ‘gives good hugs’ – in fact he is one the best!

Fametastic - WOW Warning:

Name Dropping Alert approaching ….

WOW is going to really go for it on NDA in this post so be prepared!

Lady Gaga has sung about it. . .

"All we care about is runaway models
Cadillacs and liquor bottles
Give me something I wanna be
Retro glamour Hollywood,
Yes, we live for the
Fame"

And so has David Bowie. . .

"Fame, Fame, fame…
What’s your name…"

And as the infamous dance ‘Fame’ song goes:

Fame, I’m gonna live forever,
I’m gonna learn how to fly
I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry….

WOW would like to talk about Fame (not her own which so far is limited - thank goodness - to two autograph seekers in her local village); no, the fame that is for Brian Flaming Fantastic Fortuna, and Mark Flipping Gorgeous Foster….

You may have caught on that WOW is an experienced Woman Of the World (ie long in the tooth and short in the leg), and has - over her extensive career in the media - done the following:

. . . WOW has interviewed such ‘luminaries’ as Silvio Berlusconi

(Note: interview took place pre his current ‘sleaze’ era)

. . .the divine Peter Gabriel

(WOW so impressed that got writer’s block,
wrote rubbish feature on him
and had to send him grovelling letter of apology)

. . .David Puttnam, Michael Winner, Ted Turner, Robert Maxwell (pre-pensions, and pre-death, obviously!)…Bob Geldof. .blah blah blah you get the picture…

. . .WOW has worked with Sue Johnson, Amanda Burton (from her good old Brookside days) and Paul Usher

(aka Barry Grant - most of you too young to remember?)

. . .WOW has met and spoken with a flotilla of famous folk including Simon Cowell (lovely, emanates warmth, met in 2004);

David Beckham (very slight in weight, no wonder his poor wife allegedly starves herself);

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne; Charles Bronson (WOW was a tad overawed, Hollywood royalty and all that); etc etc…Piers Morgan blah blah blah. . .

Anyhoo, the point to all this vicarious name dropping that, aside from ridiculous crush on Donny Osmond and David ‘How Can I be Sure’ Cassidy when WOW was not a WOW but 14 year-old pillow snogger, WOW is not in the least bit fazed by ‘celebrity’ or ‘Fame’.

However, WOW was (and continues to be so) very impressed with the two Mr F’s.

Foster and Fortuna.

And the way they conduct themselves through the rather tricky field of being very very good at what they do, in the public eye, with the fickle tricky hand of Fame always tapping on their shoulder…there follows a post from WOW’s diary with her first impressions of Mr Fortuna…and then Mr Foster. WOW is posting these extracts cause they are proof that one’s first impressions are often correct….

PS WOW is reliably informed that while the following picture allegedly enjoyed a little massage c/o photo-shop. . .

This one did not. . .And then final pic of Beck's response:
Flattery, as they say, will get you everywhere....

Boris Dancing

WOW on meeting Boris Johnson Immediately impressed with his wit, intelligence and seemingly genuine curious take on wheelchair dancing…
Demonstrating his love of all cultural, Boris suggested that WOW and Mark Foster - in full tango finery - reminded him of a picture by that Scottish painter. . .is this is a Culture Vulture test, WOW thought at the time?. . . Then she declared, "Do you mean Jack Vettriano, Mr Mayor?"
WOW left Boris (who WOW could imagine was still humming tune to Tango, hopefully) with the distinct impression that, rather than there being something of the political ‘night about him’*. . .
.

aka Michael Howard. . .
(*as declared Ann Widdecombe MP,
after the latter's failed attempt at
Conservative Party Leadership)

(**she meant Howard was dracula)

. . .there is something ‘of the day’ about Boris…

He really is amusing, and clever, and WOW also loves the fact that he holds S-Levels in his education. WOW herself has an ‘S’ ie ‘Special’ in English Lit… (S-levels were taken at same time as A-levels in ye olden school days.)

And oh, BJ is so seemingly politically powerful…which WOW finds sexy. WOW can confirm that Boris is sexy in the Victoria Wood "Let's Do It" way. . .

"Beat Me On the Bottom with the Woman’s Weekly…"
sort of sexy!

And he could use ‘compression’ through the hands immediately to dance when WOW asked him… (and we know what we know about men who can dance, don’t we ladies?)

Is any of this making any sense? WOW is off now to purchase copy of the Woman’s Weekly….
(Ed: It is hoped that this will be followed by a very very very cold shower.)

However, before WOW delves into her latest copy of WW to read all about the Obamas, she is musing upon all things Olympic. . .

Boris, intense lover of all things Greek. Check.
Olympics, created by the Greek Civilization. Check.
Diana, name of Greek Goddess. Check.

Boris in a toga. Check. Diana in a chariot. Check.

Talk about Chariots of Fire!
It's a sure fire winner for 2012, isnt it. . .
So come on Mr Mayor, how's about a cheque*?

*WOW needs to ask Boris for cash to develop Wheelchair dancing projects.

(Ed: but perhaps she is just thinking about renewing her subscription to Women's Weekly magazine?)

IT'S A WRAP PARTY part three (final one!)

lovely smiling and clapping Mark and Martin
*
group hug!
*
the very gorgeous Mr F and Ms R
*

flowers from Mr F
*
flowers the next day
(the sight of these helped WOW’s hangover)
*

And finally:

Dancing On Wheels. . .It’s a Wrap, but it's not the end…

Next time (next week on DOW)
WOW goes Morris, sorry Boris dancing….

IT'S A WRAP PARTY part two

Not Where’s Wally..more like where’s Marky?
Can you spot Mark? Is he hiding from James and Ola!
Also pictured: Lucy and Clara from Fever Media
*

David Tibballs has a really good time with Kristina
*

Di with one of BF’s – Jane
*

Di thanking Kaaj – one WOW’s ‘Karma police’
– Neil Rubenstein is the other…
*

Shock Horror! WOW caught bang-to-rights drinking!
Nothing escapes the Boss Brian though!

(Ed: I heard on the grapevine that WOW, without her wheels, had to be ‘carried’ to the taxi by her dance partner at 3am.)

Di and Mark's last dance for the BBC's

Dancing On Wheels: The Joy, The Joy of this dance is so clear - topped off with a standing ovation!

click here to watch the video

(WOW thinks the audience clapping all the way through could be due to the speed we get up to, which won't come over so well on this visual - when you see the professional dancers like Brian and Kristina, their perfection of timing with incredible speed combined 'live' is breathtaking.)

This Quickstep is out of their professional league of course, but Mark and WOW were moving so fast, all five wheels of the wheelchair came off the floor!
Didn't call Mark Daddy Long Legs for nothing!

Wow On (not) Winning

So, dearest WOW Watchers, now you know.
Please believe me when I say that I was so happy not to have won. And normally, like World Class Olympian competitor Mark, this would not normally be the case.

The standing ovation that we received for our Quick Step: Almost Like Being in Love, was, and is still to this day, one of the most wonderful moments of my life.

Do I think the judges made the right decision? Yes – at that time (July 2009) for the following reasons, which include what I consider to be the reasons behind their decision:

James and Ola are both Latin Ballroom dancers (they are, of course, brilliant at ‘ballroom’ dances) – they are professionals after all, but their principle field is Latin.

James Jordan, (although I believe him to be a ‘good’ friend of Mark's) did not ‘like’ Mark's dancing from the outset. The production have cut many of the James’ comments about Mark’s dancing from the final edits.

Backstage we had a tv where we could watch – and the few occasions that I could see James and Caroline dance, realised that I did not take my eyes off Caroline – she has the ‘it’ factor visually – and when I first saw wheelchair dancing on youtube before the first audition, realised back then, that it looks better ‘visually’ if there is little height discrepancy between the combi couples.

(Mark Foster - 6'6" – hello!)

This, of course, again, is a ‘visual’ factor – v imp for tv – not so important for competitions where the judges would base on ability and connection of and between the couple. And as Pippa (dance trainer) Roberts kept saying: ‘Mark’s height would be an advantage in wheelchair dance competitions – on the tightly packed dancefloor, all the judges would have no problem in seeing him!’

It was regarded (so I believe) that I was the most proficient mover/dancer in the dancing wheelchair from the outset.

comfirmed by Judge Ade Adepitan's comments
on all of my performances

These skills developed not from using a wheelchair – I mainly use prosthetics – but because of my 3 years training in wheelchair tennis – and therefore having a good idea of what difficult high speed movement can be achieved in the chair. Combined with the learned ability to move my body into initially ‘difficult’ positions – again, acquired from learning to walk in two prosthetics where you are forcing the body to adapt to difficult body movement.

However, skills aside (please notice that during the Quickstep, Mark and I are moving so fast, all five wheels of the wheelchair come off the floor!) this year I will turn 50. There, I have said it, one of the possible key factors in the final result is age.

And this is my party/blog so I will cry/make statements if I want to.

We were told from the beginning that BBC3’s remit (amongst others) was to produce programming for the ‘difficult to reach’ audience of 18-34 year olds. (Look back and one of first posts to see how I felt at the first audition.)

And this fact was re-enforced throughout the whole of making of DOW. During the break backstage, before we were due to go out to receive the judge’s deliberations, Harry Lansdowne (BBC3 Commissioning Editor) interviewed me on camera – and from what I recall, every one of his questions related to age. Perhaps he was worried, that due to the reception to our Quickstep, the Judges would announce us the winners. Certainly, that was the ‘backstage’ vibe.

But it was not to be.

And all I can say that not to win – the relief was incredible. Mark and I had done our best, in the circumstances, and that is good enough for me.

Let's boil it all down to the most important key fact: Mark and I were adept at Ballroom, but not at Latin. James and Caroline were excellent in each – they deserved to win.

I was on a high for two weeks after the finals. Never before (apart from giving birth to my beautiful daughter, Lara) have I felt such a sense of achievement.

So, dearest WOW Watchers, and to those of you who still feel that we should have won – wait till you see next week’s episode the ‘final’ final.

And then you will hopefully understand why, although we didn’t win the competition. . . . . .both Mark and I feel like The Winners

A SMILE IN A WHISPER

Some Final Thoughts*, Di’s Diary, July 2009

(*as in thoughts from my diary, not WOW’s final final thoughts. You didn’t think I would go that easily, did you?)

So Mark and I are in the Final.

Surreal.

To think I wasn’t even in the ‘contest’ initially. And then to be paired with Mark, who, from what I can gather, received some scathingly Judgemental comments about his performances in Strictly. And I am 20 years older than any of the other contestants. Well, on those facts alone we were the rank outsiders at the beginning.

But I remember the turning point so clearly that hot day, just weeks ago, in the hottest dance studio when Brian and I were dancing so fluidly and then Mark and I did and Brian whispers to both of us, "You know guys, this was possibly only a one or two horse race, I think all that’s changed now."

And then he shouts (Bronx style): "I am pumped!"

It wasn’t only Mark and I connecting on a friendship level immediately, that helped. I think it was the laughs we had on that day that, to me, turned the whole difficult process around.I had underestimated the brain strain of taking so much instruction in, using a ‘different’ language – the language of dance, plus getting my body to move in new ways. (Although this latter part does come more easily to me – nothing could be as difficult as learning to walk again on prosthetics. It took me 6 months – and walking up and down in parallel bars with my walkman on, pacing up and down up and down like a caged lioness, until I had got it right. )

There are also the added pressures of having the cameras around, and being almost permanently miked up for sound – although it is true, you do forget about them (the equipment, not the people behind them), but the unreal world is very real when it comes to pressure. The stress upon Brian, (choreographing 6 dances for 6 different, very different couples, the demands of the production etc) is extreme.

Brian’s stress was palpable on that day vibrating in every one of his movements, and frequently in his voice.

We were working hard and I could feel the stress in Brian’s body but it was Mark, as I recollect, who cracked a few of his subtle jokes, then I did, then Mark (it was stifling in the room) suddenly took his top off and attempted our opening tango move. I laughed so much could hardly get my words out. ‘I …am ..not.. I cannot.. dance with you like that. It's like dancing with a freaking ..a ..an upmarket Chippendale..’

All of us relaxed after that. And the dancing flowed.
.
And does, and so does the humour. Most of which is unprintable. (And certainly not viewable. One infamous moment came last week when Brian yelled something at me and even Neil ‘Rubi’ Rubes put the camera down, his mouth hanging open in shock. Even I was speechless.)

It’s is the same with Pippa. She kept (and still does now) calling me Diane. Which I hate. Then she told us that ‘Pippa’ in Polish means the ‘C’ word. So every time she calls me Diane I just shout – Oy, Polish Pippa, what’s my name?

So hardly a smile in a whisper, eh Pippa, more Shout Shout, let it all out. By Tears for Fears.

I do have fears (about this final week). And there’s bound to be tears. As long as there’s smiles and laughter as well.

Bring It On.