27 February 2023
On Friday evening, Old Kirkhamian, Will Norris, put on his dancing shoes to take part in a ‘Strictlyesque’ national dance competition in aid of Tia’s Crown – a charity set up to support mental and physical wellbeing through free Let’s Dance sessions and who provide grants to other charities who work in line with what they want to achieve.
Will, an Assistant Head at a special needs school who attended KGS from 1999-2006, lived the Strictly dream in ‘Dance Floor Heroes’ at Blackpool Winter Gardens following a long process of heats and rehearsals.
He, along with 11 other novice dancers, paired up with a professional dance partner as they trained in a bid to win the Glitterball!
Will, who struggled with depression after the death of his son from a rare genetic illness in 2015 said: “I was fortunate enough to have people around me to pick me up and help me move forward. My wife wanted me to do this for myself, as well as to raise awareness.” Will and Nichole lost their first child to lethal skeletal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition that developed in the womb.
He attended a full day’s heat and a workshop at Blackpool Winter Gardens which involved learning some dance routines and taking part in team-building activities and travelled to Leicester for weekend rehearsals with his professional dance partner before the big fundraising finale on Friday.
Will, who had no experience of ballroom or Latin dance when he attended the first heat last April, said, “It was all very secretive. I had never done anything on this scale before, it was as near to Strictly Come Dancing as you can get.”
Will said, “My professional dance partner turned a flat footed, energetic, slightly uncoordinated and non musical person into a dancer in a very short period of time!”
Will and his dance partner scored 38 out of 40 and received fantastic comments from the judges.
You can still donate to Will’s JustGiving fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/willthedancingteachernorris
Congratulations, Will!
You can watch Will's performance below...