Onchan dancer becomes third Manx-born winner of Carl Alan Award

An 18-year-old from Onchan and his dance partner have collected one of the highest honours in British dance, Isle of Man Today has reported.

Nicholas Wilson and Livy Bradfield, who is also 18 and lives in Dudley, were named Outstanding Classical Sequence Partnership at this year’s Carl Alan Awards. The trophy was handed over by Strictly Come Dancing professional Ola Jordan, and the programme’s head judge, Shirley Ballas, was also at the ceremony.

The awards cover every form of dance and are sometimes described as the “Oscars of the Dance World”. Winners are chosen from candidates put forward by the national dance bodies.

According to Isle of Man Today, only two Manx-born dancers had won before in the awards’ 70 years: Nina Hunt in 1968 and Megan Croft in 2022. Wilson is the third.

The recognition caps a successful spell for the pair, who have competed in Classical and Modern Sequence at a number of the leading national championships and have performed at the Classique de Danse Awards Gala. With the two living in different places, rehearsing together means long journeys, which they balance with their studies, sport and other commitments.

The couple said they were “absolutely thrilled and incredibly proud” to receive the honour. They paid tribute to the coaches who have guided them, naming Diane Killip, who runs the Killip School of Dance, together with Neil and Tara Bradfield at Expressions Dance Academy. They also expressed gratitude to the Isle of Man Dance Teachers’ Association for backing them.