Millennium 2021

Even though many people have been dancing for a while I am sure we were not alone in that Millennium 2021 was the first comp we danced since the start of the pandemic. With emergency vehicle sirens blaring constantly in the streets a little over a year ago we had no idea what the future would bring. In some ways being back on the floor felt little different from years past. Michael Chapman has always created a fantastical environment for dancers of all stripes to enjoy. You could say the amazing is an everyday sort of thing in the realm of ballroom so on one level that is to be expected, but knowing a little of the work that goes in to putting on such an elaborate event I can say that the experience is no guarantee. Much hard work and planning of discrete details goes into making such a seamless experience. All this is to say that I had such a mixed bag of feelings being back, but they were overwhelmingly positive. 

I felt thankful to see so many faces from before who made it through the last year to come back to our fantasy world. I felt both joy and pride to see our students have an opportunity to pursue their passion and to show so much improvement. I felt a sense of freedom knowing that as much weight as we put on a placement or even the way we dance those are not life and death matters.

The pandemic times may have been a blur in some ways, but they gave us some very helpful opportunities. In dancing by Zoom and FaceTime, Cary and Gary had to develop new skills of independent movement which paid great dividends back on the live dance floor. In live lessons one can sometimes rely on a pro for support or a little physical guidance, but while dancing solo one is forced to find their own balance. This resulted in a new sense and capability of speed for both Cary and Gary. Cary made a huge change in the way she carried her weight across her feet in Rhythm giving her much better balance and sharpness in turns. For Gary it was his first Latin competition and the faster dances, Cha Cha and Samba, were his best of the event. Comfort does not always (often seldom) equal improvement because as we learn and grow we are pushing past the boundaries of our previous abilities.

One of the peculiar things about the ballroom world is that we tend to enter competitions that are judged on a comparative basis. But that is a comparison between dancers not a comparison of one’s own improvement, so a dancer can often feel in a fog as to how they are doing. Even objective understandings a skill learned pale in comparison to the immediate thrill of a placement although one tells us much more about the state of our development than the other. This is all a long preamble to saying that I admire the fortitude or our students in sticking with their dancing through such trying times and making huge strides in their dancing without the benefit of things we all took so much for granted; things like having a studio in which to dance.

Digression over.

Well done Cary Mabley and well done Gary Tessitore. You made the Big Apple team proud last week.

Gary and Vanda finishing off their opening out in Viennese Waltz

Full arm styling and smart posture for the Bolero