It was a lovely weekend … with the usual ups and downs, of course. I was hoping to
first place in smooth 3-dance championship 🙂
have more pictures to show of me dancing and such, but I haven’t been able to get them from the studio yet. So, I thought I’d go ahead and share what I have and give my thoughts.
Let’s get the good stuff out of the way … Took home my first medals!! So far, the comps I’ve gone to haven’t given out medals, so I was excited. I’m happy to say I got 1st place in both smooth and rhythm 3-dance championships! I got several 1st, 2nds, and 3rds in single dances, and also 2nd in rhythm scholarships and 3rd in smooth scholarships. All that to say that I’m super pleased with my standings. 🙂
Interestingly, I ranked higher against the same competitors when dancing silver and I think this has helped solidify for Teach that it’s time for me to switch over to silver completely. I’m not sad about this as I really enjoy the silver routines!
night before the comp silliness
Ok, about the comp. I got there later than I hoped to as the traffic in Atlanta was horrific. It literally took me 2 hours to go the last 10 miles. The rest of our group had gone to dinner, but I was able to catch up. Lots of fun and great food was experienced that evening.
Thursday evening I got to meet the organizer, Eddie Ares, who was gracious and fun-loving. Friday morning was smooth for me and I was up bright and early to watch fellow competitors and warm up a bit myself. I wish I had some good action shots, but alas, here are some stills from the afternoon championships/scholarships.
little bit of vendors behind me … this was right before my win!
I have learned not to get my hopes up in the multi-dance events as there are so many points of view and unknowns. There are famous teachers and famous students and loyalties and whatnot, so you just have to go out there and dance your best … letting the results just be. Some judges will love you and others will put you last for inexplicable reasons. 🙂
When our number wasn’t called for 3rd for smooth championships (my best hope guess) I just assumed it was one of those moments, again. But called for 1st place just made my day. To win in smooth (not my forte) was a wonderful moment.
Friday night we watched Rising Star professionals and I always find these shows fun and exciting. On both evenings there were some special events and people rewarded. We met a woman who was overcoming cancer, a young girl overcoming physical disabilities who did a lovely showcase with her teacher, an appeal to help an instructor building schools in Thailand (I think — my memory is a little fuzzy on that detail), and unfortunately, a … for lack of better words, a lap dance. It was inappropriate, but was the only negative I felt for the whole weekend.
Saturday was rhythm day for me and I don’t have any pictures of this day cause I haven’t been able to get my hands on any of them. 😦 But, it was a great day for me. There was a male student in my age group competing and we went back and forth with 1st and 2nd place, so it was a fun little rivalry. I fear good amateur male students aren’t as abundant, so when one comes along who is pretty good, he is NOT easy to beat. 🙂 haha
Saturday evening we watched the finals for cabaret– there were some absolutely fabulous ones … and professionals for all the dances — super fun!
I gotta say, Eddie Ares put on a wonderful event. The hotel was fun, the food was really good, the competition was great, and the professional events were as full, if not fuller, than other bigger comps I’ve gone to watch. There were plenty of vendors and a couple of spaces for couples to warm up off the floor. If you’re planning on going to Hotlanta the Classic in the future, I would definitely recommend … just make sure you leave plenty of time for traffic. 🙂
just chilling before championship rounds on the fab white couches in the ballroom
I don’t know what’s next for me … just taking it one day at a time. But, I do have these great dance experiences and hope to create more!
I look forward to reading about your experiences too …
See you on the dance floor!