Tom Flynn declared victorious in closely fought York Come Dancing
Tom Flynn and his partner Rosie Portas were announced the winning couple of York Come Dancing on Sunday.
The RAG organised charity fundraiser saw eleven campus ‘celebrities’ pair up with a member of York Dancesport to perforom one unique piece. Upon their victory, the pair were presented with a trophy and a £25 voucher for the Fancy Dance Shop.
“This is my seventh year at the university and it is probably the most exciting thing to happen to me during my time here” Flynn said during his victory speech.
Judge Joel Chapman commented that the pair’s award winning quickstep performance was “amazing to watch.” The routine, to Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’, earned them a generous seventeen points which placed the couple in joint first, along with Sam McCormick and Kate Senior, before the audience vote had even been cast.
“Not only was it great fun but we were all very impressed with the generous donations” said Joey Ellis, who co-presented the evening. The audience voting system, which made up fifty per cent of the final scores, involved a series of buckets each labeled with the name of a different dancing pair.
The audience were invited to contribute cash to the bucket of their favoured pair. The event raised a total of £779 which will be divided amongst the charities; Help for Heroes, York St John’s Ambulance, Médecins Sans Frontières, York Spinal Injuries Association, Martin House Children’s Hospice and Student Action.
“It was a very close call as to who would win” said Ellis. The runners up, Nouse editor Henry James Foy and his dance partner Harriet Waghorn lost to Flynn by just nineteen pence. Had Matt Burton raised that amount more in donations he would have ranked third which would have resulted in Flynn coming second overall. “It is fantastic that it came so close. It would have been lovely to have won but I had a great time and I am so glad that so much money was raised for RAG,” said Foy.
Campus ‘celebrity’ Dan Taylor raised eyebrows when he exposed his bare chest beneath a black blazer. When later asked about his outfit and his status as a “ladies’ man,” Taylor made the comment: “Women are God’s gift to me. “ Judge Sarah Chapman praised the “entertainment part” of Taylor’s routine, however his samba to ‘Lollipop’ by Mika came under fire, with the judges commenting that it was “a bit flat.”
Taylor faced a further slating from Alex Fink who described him as, “so cocky and so confident” in an interview with Ellis. Fink, who entered the competition at the last minute after Derwent Chair Joe Rankin, dropped out, expressed hopes that Taylor would not be the one to win the competition.
Despite being a last minute entrant to the competition and as a result having had a shorter period of time in which to rehurse, Fink went on to raise the most money, with a total of £249. With his partner Gail Kidd, he danced the Foxtrot to Gabriella Cilimi’s ‘Sweet About Me’.
True to form YUSU President, Tom Scott danced the Paso Doble in full pirate regalia with partner Clair Cornock, wife of competition presenter Matt Cornock. Other highlights from the evening included a dance from members of York Dancesport and a routine from the judges themselves during the intervals.
Final Standings
1 Tom Flynn and Rosie Portas
2 Henry James Foy and Harriet Waghorn
3 Sam McCormick and Kate Senior
4 Alex Fink and Gail Kidd
5 Matt Burton and Sarah Cook
6 Charlie Leyland and Sum Mistry
7 Helen Adams and Richard Barker
8 Miranda Thomas and Luke Malkin
9 Tom Scott and Claire Cornock
10 Jamie Tyler and Sarah Naylor
11 Dan Taylor and Emily Sargeant
One response below. Comments are open.
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Popular This Week
Polls
Loading ...
Hi,
I’m pleased to say it’ll be more than £779- that’s just the voting on the night. We’ve yet to add live ticket sales, bar tickets and programmes to that yet.
Thanks to everyone who came and took part in this event!
Luke (Dancesport Secretary)