Article from Blackpool Gazette in the U.K. May 20, 2026, by Jack Marshall Thanks Diana D. Le, for sharing this article. André Rieu is already planning for his 80th birthday tour in 2029! Legendary Dutch violinist André Rieu will make a special appearance at the 100th Blackpool Dance Festival next week as he searches for world-class ballroom couples to join his forthcoming 80th Birthday Anniversary World Tour in 2029. Rieu, widely known as the “King of Waltz”, is due to arrive at Blackpool Airport on Tuesday May 26, 2026 before traveling directly to the iconic Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens Blackpool. There, he will address thousands of competitors gathered for the landmark centenary celebrations of the world-famous festival. During the visit, Rieu will invite dancers competing at the festival to apply to join him and his renowned Johann Strauss Orchestra on a major international tour celebrating his 80th birthday in 2029. The tour will span multiple countries and celebrate the waltz, the art form that has defined his career. Selected couples will perform alongside Rieu in specially commissioned matching costumes, reflecting the theatrical grandeur for which his arena productions are internationally recognized. His concerts, including the celebrated Maastricht summer and Christmas performances, regularly feature between 150 and 300 dancers performing to pieces such as "The Second Waltz" and "Lara's Theme". With more than 2,000 dancers competing at the Winter Gardens during this year’s festival, organizers say the event represents the caliber of ballroom talent Rieu is seeking for what is expected to become one of the most ambitious productions of his career. André Rieu said: “I am very much looking forward to coming to Blackpool to meet all of you and hope many of you would like to join me on my tour in 2029!” World-Class The Blackpool Dance Festival, now in its landmark 100th year, is the world’s most prestigious competitive ballroom dancing event. Held annually at the Winter Gardens’ Empress Ballroom, a breathtaking Victorian venue of ornate gilding and sweeping balconies, the festival attracts competitors from over 50 countries across the globe. Blackpool has long been acknowledged as the global capital of competitive ballroom dancing. The town’s intimate association with the dance world stretches back over a century and the annual festival remains its crowning jewel, drawing competitors, judges and spectators from every corner of the globe. Natalie Hayes, Organizer of Blackpool Dance Festival said: “To have André Rieu walk through the doors of the Empress Ballroom in this, our centenary year, is almost beyond words. For our competitors, who have dedicated their lives to perfecting every step, this is an opportunity that will simply never come again. “To perform alongside André on one of the dates on his world tour in front of tens of thousands of people is the stuff of dreams. We are enormously proud that he has chosen the Blackpool Dance Festival as the place to make this announcement.” Kate Shane MBE, Managing Director, Blackpool Tourism said: “Blackpool is the home of dance, a fact recognized the world over. When the greatest dancers on earth want to test themselves against the very best, they come to Blackpool. “André Rieu’s visit to the magnificent Empress Ballroom in our centenary year is a magnificent tribute to everything this festival and this town represent.” How to Apply Couples wishing to audition for a place on the André Rieu 80th Birthday Anniversary World Tour 2029 will be invited to apply following Rieu’s address at the Empress Ballroom. Full details of the application process, including audition requirements and selection criteria, will be announced at the event.

May 2026 Quite by chance, Ruud ran into a former colleague at a business meeting who turns out to own a dance school in our region. It turned out that he and his dance partner had been participating in the Vrijthof Concerts for several years. They were interviewed by a local newspaper in 2025. It was very nice to read how things work behind the scenes! Will they apply for the 2029 birthday tour??? Jeroen and Saskia shine during André Rieu concerts. Jeroen: 'I buy extra days off' WOS Media (Westland regional news), Steffie Taal May 27, 2026 Date of Interview: July 2025. Last year, Saskia Goos-Broersma started working full-time as a teacher to have extra days off, and Jeroen van der Weijden bought extra days off as a technical consultant. All of this to be able to do what the Westland dance couple enjoys most. Alongside their regular jobs, they shine with 150 other dance couples at the Vrijthof in Maastricht during André Rieu's concerts. "You feel like an artist for a moment." It is the very last weekend – at least for the time being – at the Vrijthof for Saskia and Jeroen. It is the third year in a row that they are participating, but it did not happen without a struggle. "Back in 2016, Rieu wrote to every dance school in the Netherlands looking for amateur dancers," says Jeroen, who hails from ‘s-Gravenzande. The couple desperately wanted to participate, but despite this, they were unable to sign up due to an injury. "Even though it was so high on our dance wish list," says Saskia. After that, Rieu had gathered a regular group of dancers around him. "And we ended up on a waiting list," sighs Jeroen. With his Johann Strauss Orchestra, André Rieu has been enchanting people from all over the world for over 20 years. This year, too, the organization expects to attract 150,000 visitors from a hundred different countries. But the dance couple didn't give up. "We wrote a letter, and eventually we were invited after all," says Saskia. Since then, the couple has received an invitation for every project: from Paris to Bahrain, and also for the Vrijthof. Every year, Rieu chooses a new piece of music to dance to. This means a new choreography and a new custom-made dress for Saskia. At the Vrijthof, they dance to *Roses aus dem Süden* by Johann Strauss Jr. "Dancing along with André Rieu, who can say that?" Jeroen and Saskia have been dancing together since 2014. Jeroen's girlfriend at the time, a fellow student of Saskia's, brought them together when they were both without a dance partner. In 2015, they became Dutch champions in the 'Debutants 2' class of the Dutch Association for Amateur Dance Sport (NVAD). In the past, they danced on a boat during the annual Floating Parade through the Westland area, taught dance classes to beginners, and coached wedding couples for their first dance. The dance couple simply cannot get enough of it. "Actually, even more beautiful than how we had imagined it," says Saskia. "Also, because the entire Vrijthof is illuminated," Jeroen explains. "It is magical, special, and unreal." Both consider the most beautiful moment of every show to be dancing along during the encores, when they get to dance with people from the audience. "We really turn that into a party," says Saskia. The connection you have with people and seeing them enjoy themselves is truly very special. 'We don't get a penny for it' Jeroen and Saskia also get goosebumps every time they come on stage during a concert. "Especially when the audience starts clapping, standing, and filming," Jeroen says. "During a concert period like that, you really feel like an artist for a moment, and then you go back to normal life." The couple performs the Rieu concerts entirely voluntarily, combining it with their regular jobs. "It is fully catered for, everything is reimbursed, but we don't get a penny for it." In fact, Jeroen even buys extra days off, and Saskia has temporarily started working part-time to be able to participate in the concerts. "You have to be willing to make sacrifices, but I am," Jeroen assures.