Education
Donnie Burns was born in Hamilton, West Central Scotland, where he attended the
local primary school in which his mother was a member of the teaching staff and
his father a teacher in another school. At eleven years of age he passed the
entrance examination to Holy Cross High, a selective school known for
excellent
exam results. He achieved at fifteen, 8 "O" levels (GCEs) all with A passes and
a year later 6 Highers in academic, language, science and mathematical
subjects, again with top grades. He was then accepted by Glasgow University
into the Law faculty where he studied for two years. During this time he
competed in Amateur Dancing and reached the top of World Class, He was then
persuaded by a friend to give up his studies and proceed with a dancing career
in England. Apart from Dancing he played football for both primary and
secondary schools and was a member of a very successful Primary Quiz team. He
represented his secondary school in high jump at national level and played
cricket for Motherwell Cricket Club, He was editor of the school magazine and a
member of the senior debating society which was very successful at national
level. A famous journalist of the time, Charles Graham of the Glasgow Herald,
wrote of Donnie when he was fifteen, "This lad's presence and assurance at the
podium is awe- inspiring in one so young". At seventeen, when in Manchester, he
was employed by the "Guardian" where he became Senior Advertising and Marketing
Executive for the newspaper. He was extremely lucky and was given a company car
and the management was very understanding about his dancing.(read more...)
Early dancing years
Donnie's dancing career started at six years of age when his mother, a well
known amateur dancer, taught him his first basic Latin American routines, He
became passionately attached to this form of dance from his first introduction
and on his twelfth birthday won both the Scottish Open Junior Ballroom and
Latin Championships on the same day, at St Andrew's University. He firmly
believes that his dancing career took off when he was selected along with his
partner from his parents' dance school, to represent Britain on the first trip
abroad for Juveniles, This was organised by "Dance News" and was to
Switzerland. Donnie was ten at the time. He is very proud of having had the
privilege of being in the finals of all grades of the British Championships,
juvenile, junior, amateur and professional.(read more...)
Achievements
His record includes all the major championships as an Amateur including The
World Amateur Latin Championship, European, International British and American.
He is 14 times undefeated World Professional Champion, (13 times consecutively
from 1984-1996 and again in 1998),World Professional Showdance Champion, 5
times Grand Slam winner, 3 times Karl Alan Award winner (the prestigious award
for personal achievement) and was undefeated in any competition in which he
took part for nearly 2 decades. This is now in the Guinness Book of Records as
a World Record. Early in his career Donnie appeared in the Richard Gere movie,
"Yanks". Later he turned down various TV parts in serials such as "Brookside"
and Hollywood film "Dance With Me" opposite Vanessa Williams, because he wished
to continue with his dancing. Of course he has appeared many times on British
and overseas television as competitor, demonstrator, commentator, adjudicator
and presenter.
He can converse in four languages which has helped in his international
activities, particularly in Japan where he had the honour of presenting the
1999 World Professional Championships on television, Over 10 years ago he was
very lucky to avoid the disastrous Lockerbie flight by fortunately having a
show in the United States cancelled and instead of booking the through flight
on 103 from Frankfurt, decided to go home to Scotland for a well earned
holiday. His first knowledge of the disaster was when he passed the wreckage on
the way North. He immediately approached Hamilton Town Council who gave him the
use of the town hall and raised £5000 for the Disaster Fund. A plaque is now in
the Garden of Remembrance for this contribution- Since then he has become a
patron of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and personally takes three sacks of toys to
Yorkhill Royal Hospital for Sick Children every year, for those suffering from
leukemia, and every year does shows for various charities in England, Civic
honours have also been awarded to him.
From his junior years until recently he has been named Hamilton Sportsman of
the year and has been presented with three civic receptions. Last year a huge
banner naming him as "Hamilton Sporting Legend" was unfurled in the new
shopping centre. Scottish Enterprise decided to honour him a year or so ago
with the prestigeous "Lifetime Achievement Award" which is not given lightly.
He was also the subject of the BBC TV programme "EX.S" devoted to famous
expatriates. He was given the title of "Ambassador for Scotland" by the Variety
Club of Great Britain. It has been written of him that "He is one of Britain's
greatest ambassadors". He holds the Japanese Crown Prince's Trophy and the
Japanese Prime Minister's Award. He has been invited by the Emperor of Japan to
the palace as a guest. He has been a guest of the President of Lithuania and
was recently a guest of the Dutch royal family while judging in Holland, He is
also accorded VIP status when visiting Russia where he has appeared on many
occasions.
The finest and most proud moment of his life is of course when he was presented
to HM the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 1994 to receive his MBE. Since his
retirement from competitions he has devoted his time to adjudicating,
demonstrating and lecturing all over the world and is now Vice President and
Chairman of the Dancesport Committee of the World Dance & Dancesport
Council, the world governing body for Professional Competitions and
Championships.
In the words of the late Walter Laird "Donnie with his partner Gaynor are the
finest Latin Dancers the world has ever known".(read more...)