We’re delighted to welcome a newly appointed Athlete Representative to the BDSA. James Ireland, a member of BDSA, has recently agreed to take on this role to represent the views of wheelchair dancers and advise how the BDSA can support dance schools to provide the best teaching, coaching and facilities for disabled dancers.
James will be joining fellow Athlete Representative Rebecca Fowler in this important role that places athletes at the heart of our work to help us achieve the highest standards of governance in dance sport. Having James in this role is a huge boost to our efforts to increase player representation on our Board and bring more prominence to the athlete’s voice on a range of important topics.
James certainly has great dance credentials since starting wheelchair dancing at the age of 12. He first competed in the Holland Dans Spektakel against an international field and has gone on to win several international and world championship events with his able-bodied partners.
A big highlight of James’s dance CV was performing at the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games in 2012. And in 2008, he appeared on Blue Peter and danced his way to the Malta Open Dance Championship crown with the well-known BBC Countryfile TV presenter Helen Skelton who was runner-up in the 2022 Strictly Come Dancing competition with professional dancer Gorka Márquez.
Closer to home, James has won multiple titles including Associated Board Southern Area Duo and Combi Champion, UK Duo Amateur Champion in 2010 and was this year’s Duo Ballroom & Latin Champion at the BDSA East of England Championship.
In addition to keeping busy in his new role with the BDSA, James is actively searching for a partner to continue his dance career in either Duo or Combi.
James said “I’m very much looking forward to getting started in my role as a Athlete Representative. There is lots of important work to do and working with the BDSA is a fantastic way to support wheelchair dancers and their teachers too.”
BDSA chair Genevieve Gordon-Thomson said she was pleased to have introduced the notion of dance representatives to the BDSA Board “as dancers are at the centre of everything we do and to remain focused on the needs of dancers and to provide them with opportunities we have to know what they need and want”.
Welcome aboard, James. We are delighted you have joined the BDSA as an Athlete Rep and we look forward to working with you delivering a bright future for dance.
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