Holiday and Dance present Social Dancing in London and the Home Counties plus Special Dates Nationwide

Holiday and Dance present a relaxed and friendly Modern and Latin Social Dancing for all with some popular Social Sequence. All venues have attractive and spacious dance floors. We offer an enjoyable evening with first class recorded music and will often include a chance to see Young Dance Stars in Cabaret!

Download pdf Your Dance Night Out (198 KB) which regularly provides updated information on attractive dance venues.

Argentine Tango For All

We are pleased to introduce an inspired Improvised Argentine Tango programme with Leonardo Acosta and Tracey Tyack-King as your hosts and teachers. They are both recognised for their contribution to the world of dance with their outstanding presentation and enthusiasm for this wonderful dance.

Leo has a life time passion for the dance, he continues to teach the authentic Argentine Tango whilst developing the improvisation which makes the dance so exciting.  Tracey has also been involved in dancing for much of her life, she has danced the Argentinian Tango for many years with Leo and has performed with him around the UK.

This is a great opportunity to learn, develop and enjoy the fascinating Argentine Tango with your very experienced hosts. They will usually host two levels of workshop to suit all levels of dance from the more experienced who want to improve to beginners who are just starting out. 

The enjoyment of Ballroom Dancing is universal whether with the satisfaction of dancing with your own partner the wonderful range of Ballroom and Latin dances or of course the excitement of viewing demonstrations or competitions. As ‘Holiday & Dance’ we like to offer you all of these wonderful options: in particular we would highlight our special visits to Bournemouth in January and July when viewing the best in the world can be exhilarating.

Happy Dancing - Happy Viewing

Solos Who Can Dance

We welcome solos but in the main dancers booking are in couples. We usually suggest prior to booking you might telephone the hotel to check if any other solos have booked on a particular package. The Learn & Improve sessions and workshops can be worthwhile, however, from a solos point of view progress can be slower without having someone to practice with. Similarly for the evening sessions although the atmosphere is always relaxed and friendly, not having a partner can limit the full enjoyment of the evening.

We do however have some 'Solo' holidays and in addition to experienced social dance hosts we try and ensure there are some partners available.

Please see the Programme for upcoming breaks. 

For Solos Who Can't Dance

We receive regular enquiries from solos who cannot dance and would like to learn – naturally, we help where we can with names of dance studios near to them – in this respect the British Dance Council (www.british-dance-council.org) can provide a list of dance teachers in a particular area.

Part of our dance programme includes ‘Learn to Dance’ weekends which are good fun and aimed at those who cannot dance. It would be beneficial to bring a friend you could partner and practice with as well as enjoying a great weekend break.

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Magic Memories Through My Eyes and Ears

by Jack Reavely

This great new publication offers a fascinating and nostalgic trip into the world of ballroom dancing. Written by Jack Reavely, it follows Jack and his wife Anne through their Ballroom life of dance from early stage competitors to viewing and writing about champions past and present.

The book has a cast of thousands and is rich in detail with humour, anecdotes, dancing tips. A must read for every dancer!

How to Buy

The cost is £20 plus £3 p&p in the UK with availability from

Jack Reavely
136 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh
EH6 4NR
Scotland

Tel: 0131 554 5536.

Please make cheques payable to "Jack Reavely"

The Riviera Dance Festival Experience 2007

Celebrating our 25th Anniversary Year!

Our Dance Festivals incorporate fabulous holidays with a great festival atmosphere, none more so than the Riviera Dance Festival held at Torquay in Devon. The 25th annual presentation of the English Riviera Dance Festival was celebrated in style!

Social and competitive dancers from the UK and overseas enjoyed an amazing and nostalgic week of dancing with highlights of World Class Demonstrators in cabaret. The excellent demonstrations at the Festival highlighted the many famous names who have delighted us over the last quarter of a century. This year was no exception with two separate Gala Night cabaret performances, first from World and European Amateur Latin Champions, Peter and Kristina Stokkebroe with their showstopping performance, followed on the final Thursday night by Amateur Standard Champions Marco Cavallaro and Joanne Clifton and Professional Latin Champions Alex Ivanets and Lisa Bellinger-Ivanets in cabaret. We also welcomed again an impressive dancing performance from our wheelchair dancers who received a standing ovation from an appreciative audience.
For pictures from previous Dance Festivals, see our Festival Diary.

Do you have a Riviera Dance Festival story to share?
If you have a story or pictures (digital only please) from any of our 25 years, we'd love to hear from you. Send it in an email to Holiday and Dance and we'll post it in our 25th Anniversary section.

The Riviera Dance Festival, is a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy dancing in a relaxed, fun and genuinely friendly atmosphere. Many guests returned in this 25th Anniversary year to renew friendships, develop their dancing and learn with top professionals. As usual, we enjoyed tea dances, workshops with eminent dance coaches including current and former champions, practice sessions, dancing and/or competing every night and of course, great cabaret performances from dance champions. For anyone interested in competing, every festival has a full programme of competitions for all levels.

We've been on TV! We were also interviewed at the Scarborough Dance Festival by the lovely folks from Scarborough TV. See the programme clip here.

Celebrating Decades of Dance Holidays - the Holiday and Dance Picture Album!

While we're very much a dance holiday company with an eye on a fresh, modern approach to dancing we do have a history that takes us back a fair number of years! Looking through our archives, we've come across some interesting pictures that we thought would give you a smile. Those of you who weren't yet born in the era of Strictly Ballroom may find themselves thanking their lucky stars! That said, whether 20 years ago or in these heady days following the explosion of Ballroom and Latin dancing from shows like Strictly Come Dancing, all our holidays offer a fabulous experience for all dancers - from those just beginning to keen social dancers and avid competitive dancers.

If you have a story or pictures (electronic versions only please) from any of our three decades at the Riviera Dance Festival, or from any of our dance holiidays, we'd love to hear from you. Send it in an email to Holiday and Dance and we'll post it in our Holiday and Dance Diary. Do you recognise yourself in any of these pictures from previous Festivals and Holidays?

Dancing Stars - Dancing Memories at the Riviera Dance Festival in Torquay

We've had the enormous pleasure of working with some of the world's most eminent dance champions at many of our events and holidays, none more so than the English Riviera Dance Festival in Torquay. Over the decades, this wonderful dance festival has played host to many stars of the dance world, you may recognise a few of the names here from past and present!

Michael and Vicky Barr

Alan and Hazel Fletcher

David Sycamore and Denise Weavers

Hans and Anne Laxholm

Marcus and Karen Hilton

John Wood and Anne Lewis

Richard and Els Porter

Luca and Loraine Baricchi

Augusto Schiavo and Caterina Arzenton

Goran and Nicola Nordin

Christopher Hawkins and Hazel Newberry

Alan and Donna Shingler

Jonathan Wilkins and Katusha Demidova

Andy and Kelly Kanz

Warren and Kristi Boyce

Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace

Evgenii Smagin and Rachael Heron

Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup

Sammy Stopford and Barbara McCall

Timothy Howson and Joanne Bolton

The Beacon Wheelchair Dance Group at Torquay Town Hall

A decadent cabaret held at one of our '90's Festivals! Recognise anyone here?

The most balloons wins at the Festival! Anyone know who walked away with the prize?

Social Dancers take their partners in the Warwick Ballroom, Torquay

Dancing at Torquay Town Hall

The Widest Girth Competition - who won this one then??

Team Match - English Riviera Festival

Dancing at the Colosseum, Watford

A damp barn dance at Sandford in the 90's

Dancers at the Coastline Hotel, Malta

Learn and Improve Session at the Ocean Ballroom, Scarborough

Dancesport Competitions and Competitors

Holiday and Dance extend a welcome to all dancers and invite you all to take part in our wonderful competitions. Every Holiday and Dance Dancesport Competition is expertly organised and managed.

If you've never competed before, these competitions are a great way to start - it's fun, and friendly; you can expect support and help from dancers and organisers alike. You'll see some of the best dancers in the world from both the amateur and professional world. Not dancing? Come and watch, give your support and cheer on your favourites. A competition day is a wonderful day out - inspiring, fun and engaging.

For those who have not competed before, maybe a Social Dancer or Medallist, it is worth knowing that many events are suitable for early stage dancers.

What are the Grades all About?

The grade called Social Dancer allows you to compete without having to register with the British Dance Council (BDC). Any dress outfit other than competition clothing can be worn and any steps/choreography can be used.

Usually the grade that would follow Social would be Beginner grade where there is a limitation of choreography to approved basic steps. Again you do not have to register with the BDC and there is a dress limitation.

Following this grade would be the Novice grade where you do have to be registered with the BDC, you have the choice of lounge or competition dress but your choreography is still limited to basic figures. It is recommended that contact is made with the BDC through their website (www.british-dance-council.org) who can provide details of registration, steps/choreography, together with rules and guidance on competition clothing.

For early stage competitors there are worthwhile training programmes plus suitable competitions at our Festival in Torquay.

For those Who Compete

We offer a full programme for all grades and ages and are proud that we have the rights to present the Open to the World English Championships together with the United Kingdom Over 50 Championships.

Enjoy Competition Dancing

Enjoyment not only for competitors but also for spectators. Many Holiday & Dance events provide excitement and glamour to audiences nationwide. In addition to the above competitions, there are special Holiday & Dance packages to Bournemouth for the National and International United Kingdom Championships.

For more information about competitions and programmes, please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +44 (0)1844 275175.

Upcoming Events:

40th English Riviera Dance Festival

2nd - 7th June 2024

  pdf Download Leaflet (4.15 MB)

West London Dancing and Classes

West London Dancing and Philip Wylie have an excellent range of dance classes suitable not only for those just starting but through to intermediate and experienced dancers. In addition there are regular Social Dances, Dinner Dances and special Gala events including Demonstrations and an opportunity to view Championships.

Our ballroom dance classes in London are fun, friendly and welcoming whether you've danced before or only watched and wished you could do it. Don't watch from the sidelines, come and join in the fun.

Leaflets and Programmes

pdf Your Dance Night Out (193 KB) (London and the Home Counties)

pdf West London Dancing and Classes (195 KB)