VeggieGirl on the Dance Floor

My goodness, this past weekend literally flashed before my eyes - I cannot believe how quickly it came and went!! Despite the fact that the weekend was too short (but isn't it always??), I still had the most exhilarating and fun-filled weekend, for sure. In case you missed the notes in my past few posts as to why this past weekend was already predicted to be so exciting, I will bring you up-to-date with everything.

This past Sunday, September 28th, marked my first ballroom dance showcase of the season. Yes, I am a ballroom dancer, and I absolutely love this style of dance - it is classy and sophisticated, yet sensual and fun as well (check out the Dancing with the Stars sometime, if you have access to the program - it is quite entertaining!).

At the showcase, a total of three ballroom dance companies were present, and a large number of dance couples (at least 55 dances were performed!!) competed in front of judges for critiquing and scoring. The entire showcase lasted from 11:00am until 6:00pm; and even though my partner and I obviously were not competing that entire time (since there were so many other couples competing as well), we were still running around like crazy, practicing our routines off-stage, getting ready, and trying to calm our nerves, haha :0)

The first dance that we performed was the Cha-cha, which earned us a score of 97 (out of 100 - not bad, eh?). Since this dance was our "main performance" (our solo), this dance had extra choreography and "theatrical elements" added to it.

Not only do I have "action-shot" photographs to share with you of our Cha-cha performance, but I am working on uploading a video clip to share as well!! It isn't uploading properly yet, but I promise to add it later if it ends up working!!

For now, here are the Cha-cha photographs:













Hopefully I will be able to get that video clip of our Cha-cha performance to work soon!! Sorry about that!!



The second dance that we performed was the Tango, which earned us a score of 94. Since this dance requires a "closed" dance position, my partner and I are connected at the hip throughout the entire dance with our backs severely arched, and our heads far away from each other. No, it is not the most comfortable dance position; but it is still fun, no worries!! :0)

Here are a few photographs of our Tango performance (the first one is of us in position; the rest are close-ups of us actually dancing):








The third, final dance that my partner and I performed was the Salsa, which earned us a score of 94. This dance is very quick-paced and energetic (similar to the Cha-cha):












Aside from the Cha-cha, Tango, and Salsa (which were the dances that my partner and I performed), the other types of ballroom dancing that were performed by various couples were Waltz, Swing, Hustle, Paso Doble, Quickstep, Mambo, Foxtrot, Rumba, Samba, and Merengue. It was so exciting getting to witness all of these dances in one full day, by the other competitors (especially since my partner and I practice all of these dances) - so much talent was represented!!

Although my partner and I were beyond exhausted by the end of the day (not to mention, suffering from sore calves and feet, haha), we were really happy to be a part of this showcase, and that we scored so high on all of our dance performances. Hooray!! :0)



This past Sunday's ballroom dance showcase was the first of many yet to come; and in January, my partner and I will be competing internationally!! We will be training even harder than usual for that competition (and have been training for it already, since it is a major competition); and we will be performing in about 100 dances (no, that number is not a typo!!). While this is definitely a lot of work, I have faith that my partner and I will be ready for it all.

This is only the beginning of the VeggieGirl on the Dance Floor series - I look forward to sharing more about dance with you (as further showcases and major competitions take place), in the near and distant future :0)