in the news
from November 2006

Fans of Victor Victoria will be delighted to learn that the team behind a string of sell-out balls at Leeds Town Hall have announced the date of their next outing: a Valentine’s Fireball next February 16th. The bad news, however, is that the team have also announced that this will be their last ever ball.

Plans for the Fireball are at an early stage, but expect a warm welcome, fabulous costumes, live music, and more cha-cha than Strictly Come Dancing. And don’t worry if your footwork doesn’t meet the judges exacting standards; the team will be sure to keep everyone entertained. The balls usually sell out fast, and with this being the last chance, be sure to get your tickets early.

A spokesperson for the team said ‘Next year will be the tenth anniversary of our running the first ever lesbian and gay event at the Town Hall, and 13 years since we held our first ever tea dance. We think it’s time for a change.’

The group started in 1994 because ‘we were learning to dance, and wanted somewhere to practice, and the previous gay tea dances had closed down... It’s been great fun running the events, and very satisfying to see how much our guests enjoy them.’

So why stop now?

‘Running the ball is a huge amount of work, and we’re beginning to run out of energy and enthusiasm. We think it’s better to go out with a bang while we’re still fired up, rather than peter out with a whimper. So we’re pulling out all the stops for the Fireball to make it one last night to remember, and then calling it a day.’

So is this the last we’ll hear from the team?

‘At the moment, we’re just concentrating on planning this event, but when the dust has settled, we’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve. Like perhaps returning to our roots and trying to run more low-key regular dance events for us and other people to practice and learn new things, for example. But it’s more likely to be a church hall than the town hall when we do.

‘Of course, we’re hoping that someone else will step in to run a big event, with new ideas and a different style. We’ll be first in the queue to buy tickets when they do.

‘And maybe, just maybe, in another 25 years when we’re all retired, we might stage a comeback. But don’t count on it!’

Tickets go on sale in December. Details in Shout! and on Victor Victoria’s website.