the theatre & Freestyle Carl Alan Awards

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The Carl-Alan Awards were first introduced in 1953 by Eric Morley and were named after the joint Chairmen of Mecca Dancing Ltd. Carl Heimann and Alan B Fairley. Mecca Dancing Ltd promoted dancing through their well-appointed Ballrooms all over the United Kingdom. In every major town or city was a Mecca ‘Palais de Danse’. The Carl Alan Awards very quickly became the most prestigious event in the dancing calendar. Featured on BBC National Television and on many occasions members of the Royal Family agreed to present the awards. The highest ranking royal being the Duke of Edinburgh. The awards became known as ‘The Oscars of the World of Dance’. With the decline in the popularity of social ballroom dancing, the change of music tastes by the general public and the rise in popularity of the Discotheque. Driven by the necessity to stay in business Mecca were obliged to diversify. The local Palais de Danses closed and Mecca closed down their Ballroom Dancing interests. As a result the last Carl Alan Awards run by Mecca were in 1983 and were not presented between 1984 to 1992. Roger Billington, the National Organiser for Butlins Ltd and President of the then Stage Dance Council acquired the rights to organise the Carl Alan Awards from Eric Morley as a result the awards were continued at Butlins Holiday Centres from 1993 to 1999. It was during this period and for the very first time Roger Billington introduced the Theatre faculty into the list of recipients of the awards. Once again the economic influence took over events and Butlins were taken over by Bourne Leisure. The new company withdrew their patronage of dance. The rights of the Carl Alan Awards were purchased by the Stage Dance Council. The Council continued to promote the awards independently from 2000 to 2003. While the Ballroom and Freestyle awards were promoted by other sponsors. There were no theatre awards presented for 2004 and 2005 due to negotiations with IDTA. From 2006 until 2011 the International Dance Teachers Association presented the awards.  The International Dance Teachers Association has been granted permission to promote the awards on behalf of the Theatre Dance Council International. These have been organised and presented at the prestigious Royal Lancaster Hotel. London. From 2012 until the present day, the Theatre Dance Council International have presented the 'Theatre Carl Alan Awards', and with kind permission of the British Dance Council, also presented the 'Freestyle Carl Alan Awards'.  

Past Winners of the Carl Alan Awards include the Beatles, ABBA, Brian Epstein, Billy Fury,

Wayne Sleep, Torvill & Dean, Matthew Bourne, Bonnie Langford, Dan Whiston, Hayley Tamaddon, Angela Rippon, Bruce Forsyth, Darcey Bussell, Ashley Banjo, and numerous others since the event began!