Gaynor Fairweather
Encyclopedia
Gaynor Fairweather is a British
professional ballroom dancer. She and her partner, Donnie Burns
, were 14-time Professional World Latin Dance Champions and 11 times Professional International Latin American Dance Champions
. This is by some way the record number of wins in both these top competitions. On their retirement from competition dancing they were both appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the performing arts.
Gaynor fell in love with dancing at the age of 10 and immediately decided to become a world champion. She was introduced to Donnie by another former world champion Sammy Stopford
and from that date on the team was relentless in the quest for the championship. They were two-time amateur
champions before moving to the professional level. Their professional string of wins in the world championship stood at an undefeated streak of 13 years (1984–1996) followed by one year of retirement and then another single championship followed by another retirement.
During their reign they were perfectionists. In their efforts to strive for excellence they sought out the help of the best in many fields. To bring the elements of Flamenco
dance into their competitive repertoire they went to South America
to train with world champion Flamenco dancers. They have traveled extensively to teach in Japan
and Hong Kong
.
Gaynor is married to Italian dancer Mirko Saccani, with whom she competed after the end of her partnership with Burns. As of 2006, she was living in Hong Kong and training wealthy socialites for Pro-Am competitions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professional ballroom dancer. She and her partner, Donnie Burns
Donnie Burns
Donnie Burns MBE was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1961. He is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin dance....
, were 14-time Professional World Latin Dance Champions and 11 times Professional International Latin American Dance Champions
International Latin American Dance Champions
The International Latin American Dance Championships were created after the Second World War in England by Elsa Wells, and are now organised by Dance News special events...
. This is by some way the record number of wins in both these top competitions. On their retirement from competition dancing they were both appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the performing arts.
Gaynor fell in love with dancing at the age of 10 and immediately decided to become a world champion. She was introduced to Donnie by another former world champion Sammy Stopford
Sammy Stopford
Sammy Stopford is a professional ballroom dancer and teacher, and winner of the Professional International Latin American Dance Championship in 1993....
and from that date on the team was relentless in the quest for the championship. They were two-time amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
champions before moving to the professional level. Their professional string of wins in the world championship stood at an undefeated streak of 13 years (1984–1996) followed by one year of retirement and then another single championship followed by another retirement.
During their reign they were perfectionists. In their efforts to strive for excellence they sought out the help of the best in many fields. To bring the elements of Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
dance into their competitive repertoire they went to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
to train with world champion Flamenco dancers. They have traveled extensively to teach in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Gaynor is married to Italian dancer Mirko Saccani, with whom she competed after the end of her partnership with Burns. As of 2006, she was living in Hong Kong and training wealthy socialites for Pro-Am competitions.