A CHARITY dancing event at Bournemouth Pavilion for Cancer Research has had to be cancelled after not enough tickets were sold.

The I Am Dancing event due to be held on May 5 was pulled by organisers Ultra Ballroom after fewer than 200 tickets were sold by participants.

Ultra Ballroom’s Jon Leonard said that selling tickets was a stipulation that was made ‘crystal clear’ when participants signed up to the event which says it provides eight weeks’ free professional training, before ‘a glamorous black tie event to showcase your skills in front of a huge crowd’.

In exchange for their free training dancers had to raise a minimum of £50 for Cancer Research – the venue costs and training is paid for by the ticket sales.

“Unfortunately we simply didn’t have enough participants to be able make an event work, all ticket sales were refunded immediately and participants have been given details if they wish to have their sponsorship refunded,” he said.

However, some participants are not happy about the cancellation, claiming it had left them out of pocket. Dancer Janine McEnnerney said she and others were ‘upset and angry’ after signing up five weeks ago when, ‘with only three weeks left, the organiser pulled the plug on it.’

“The couples involved have raised thousands for the charity, put in hours of training, paid for private lessons, bought costumes, dazzling shoes and sold tickets to the event,” she said. “Only yesterday (Sunday) we were told it was no longer taking place because not enough tickets have been sold.”

She said a group had got together and still wanted to dance. “However, with no organisation backing us it seems like an impossible task,” she said.

Jon Leonard apologised for the disappointment. He said that on occasion his company, which runs around 500 charity fund-raising events every year and had raised more than £13 million for Cancer Research, had to cancel events if not enough tickets were sold.

“We are deeply saddened by this and hope to hold an event in Bournemouth later this year,” he said.