empressorchestra

The second of our five specially autographed CDs goes to… Cedric Degroot!

Congratulations Cedric, your copy of ‘Always & Forever’ by the Empress Orchestra should be with you very soon. Details of the next draw will be posted in the not too distant future via the Empress Orchestra’s facebook page and on our website, best of luck to everyone!

Ashley Frohlick

Tania Kehlet is the first winner of our free competition which is giving away 5 of only 12 fully signed ‘Always & Forever’ CDs in the world.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy for yourself all you have to do is become a fan of the Empress Orchestra Page on facebook or sign up to be a ‘Friend’ of the Orchestra here on our website.

Names are randomly drawn, there are no questions posed, it’s just our way of marking the coming anniversary of the much celebrated album ‘Always & Forever’.

Best of luck and wishes,

Ashley Frohlick

To mark the first anniversary of the Empress Orchestra’s debut album ‘Always & Forever’, I’m going to be giving away 5 signed copies before the start of the Blackpool Dance Festival 2010.

To be eligible for one of only 12 copies in the world then you have to either be a ‘Friend’ of the Empress Orchestra or a fan of the Empress Orchestra on its facebook page.

Winners will be picked randomly and announced here and also on our facebook page in due course.

Good luck and best wishes,

Ashley Frohlick

Just wanted to share the email from Augusto Schiavo who has informed me that there has been a new Ballroom Dance Federation formed in Italy.

Here are his words in Italian:

E’ NATA UNA NUOVA FEDERAZIONE Volevo comunicare a tutti la nascita in Italia di una nuova federazione, che si occuperà di danza, nel vero senso della parola. BUON ANNO

Loosely translated in my limited understanding of Italian:

A NEW FEDERATION WAS BORN, I wanted to let everyone know about the birth in Italy of a new federation that will dance in the true sense of the word. Good Year.

Augusto has been working very hard to try to help dancers be allowed to do just that and I wish him well with his brave quest for the good of Ballroom Dancing.

Comments as always welcome.

Best wishes,

Ashley

The very best of wishes to all at the start of this New Year and decade. Here’s hoping it brings health, happiness and a certain amount of luck to everyone.

Ashley Frohlick

On the verge of selling the world famous Blackpool Tower and Blackpool Winter Gardens, what changes would you like to see implemented by the prospective new owners to help turn around these two iconic venues for the good of Ballroom Dancing?

Comments welcomed.

Best wishes,

Ashley Frohlick

I wanted to say a big thank you to all that read our modest website regularly. Our pages are viewed by many thousands of readers from around 60 – 70 different countries within any one calendar month and up to a maximum of 100 countries per year.

We attract viewers from some unlikely nations such as Greenland, the Ivory Coast, Botswana, Senegal and Uruguay and it amazes me how far-reaching our music has become through the events for which we perform.

The reason I write this particular blog is because this month alone we have been read by viewers from 110 different nations – and I am pleased to welcome the readers from 10 countries that are new to our site:

Thanks once more to all, I hope that you enjoy what you read and that you will visit us again soon!

Best wishes,

Ashley Frohlick

I’ve just signed up to facebook… Haven’t got a clue what I’m doing!

Anyone wanting to join in and offer tips, advice, become a friend – Please feel free!

To join in just visit the facebook home page and type in Ashley Frohlick.

To become friends please send a personal message to let me know that you’re joining via the Empress website.

(Spam and other distasteful things will be treated with the reverence they deserve.)

Best wishes,

Ashley Frohlick

Mirko Gozzoli and Alessia Betti.

After a long and extremely successful career Mirko and Alessia have announced their retirement as a couple from competitive dancing.

Having performed for them on many occasions and admired their wonderful dancing from the stage, we wish them the very best of luck in the years to come.

A fabulous partnership, the epitome of ballroom dancing and inspiration to so many, they will be sadly missed!

Those of you that have Sky TV may have spotted that Justin Lee Collins has a new series on Sky 1 and Sky HD: ‘Just-in at the deep end!’

He has already tried his hand at: ‘Mexican Wrestling’, ‘Chicago’ (in the West End) and ‘High Diving’.

Episode 4 sees JLC try his hand at Ballroom Dancing!

Some of the filming at the start of the show was shot from the Winter Gardens, back in November 2008, during the British National Dance Championships. If you were taking part in the competitions, you may be on the television dancing to the sounds of the Empress Orchestra.

This show is being aired on Sky 1 and Sky HD on Thursday 3 September, at 10 p.m.

If you want to read more on this topic go to the “RSS” feed (above right) or click on “comments” below.

Best wishes,

Ashley Frohlick