Early in 2015, I, at age 55, started taking lessons in ballroom dancing. It has turned out to be the best thing that happened to me over the past decade! I enjoy dancing thoroughly, from lessons to competitions. Most importantly, dancing has restored my youth by 10 years at least!
1. Introduction
It all started around Christmas of 2014. As our elder son was scheduled to get married in May 2015, my wife and I decided to take some dance lessons for the wedding. Soon it became apparent that dancing was something we both enjoyed. So, we put a lot of effort into it. As a result, we danced remarkably well at the wedding (photo below).
After that, I moved on to competitive pro/am (professional/amateur) dancing, but my wife “suspended” her effort.
2. Getting in shape
I am competitive. It soon became obvious that in order to dance reasonably well, I must lose weight fast. So, I starved myself for three long months, shedding some 30 porky pounds as a result! Furthermore, with sustained effort, I am now down to my college weight, as evidenced by the two photos below.
3. Progression and results
I am result-oriented. Let me describe my progress in six major milestones as follows:
- Chicago Harvest Moon 2015.
- Chicago Crystal Ball 2019.
- Ohio Star Ball 2019.
- Ohio Star Ball 2021.
- United States Dance Championships 2022.
- Ohio Star Ball 2022.
Let me highlight each …
3.1 Chicago Harvest Moon 2015
This was my 1st dance competition (with my 1st real dance teacher Lauren Byrnes), highlighted by the video below.
3.2 Chicago Crystal Ball 2019
This was my 1st big “win” (image below).
3.3 Ohio Star Ball 2019
This was my 1st dance competition out of town (Chicago). I finished 4th (image below).
3.4 Ohio Star Ball 2021
This was my 2nd dance competition out of town. I finished 2nd (the image below).
3.5 United States Dance Championships 2022
This was my 3rd dance competition out of town. I finished 3rd (image below).
3.6 Ohio Star Ball 2022
This was my 4th dance competition out of town. I finished as follows:
- 2nd in Gentlemen Rhythm Championship (Senior – age 61+).
- 3rd in MIB (Men in Black) Rhythm Scholarship (all ages).
- 3rd in Gentlemen Smooth Championship (Senior – age 61+).
- 4th in MIB Smooth Scholarship (all ages).
- 2nd in Gentlemen 9-dance Scholarship (all ages).
- 2nd in Best of the Best solo (level: Gold and above) – See video in the next section.
- Top Student Award (Male, Gold level) – See photo below.
4. My teacher and professional partner
Her name is Jaana Lillemagi, and she is wonderful! We have been training together since 2017. The image below highlights our 1st dance competition (Chicago Harvest Moon, 2017).
The image below highlights our latest dance competition (Ohio Star Ball 2022).
If you would like more, please watch the video below.
5. My amateur partner
Her name is Nichelle Tang Kennedy, and she is a US champion amateur ballroom dancer! We compete as an am/am (amateur/amateur) couple occasionally (two images below).
6. Closing
Competitive ballroom dancing is my [new] passion. As you can see, I have come a long way from 2015 (video in Section 3.1) to 2022 (video in Section 4).
I am determined to dance well into retirement …
Fascinating story, Frank. Similar to mine. We should get together for a coffee upon your return from Cancun and discuss; perhaps with a game of Go or Xianqi as well.