In a previous post (It is never too late to dance!), I summarized my 7-year-old ballroom dance career with some highlights. In this post, I will provide some details …
1. Competitive ballroom dancing
Competitive ballroom dancing is a serious business for professionals, but a hobby for amateurs, especially for senior citizens like me.
2. It is just a hobby for you, amateurs!
So, do not take it too seriously: If you win, nice. If not, so be it!
On the other hand, pro/am (professional/amateur) competitive ballroom dancing is a very expensive hobby, requiring a lot of time and money. Besides, you need to be in good shape physically. Very critically, you need to find a “matching” partner (aka “teacher”), which is often (said to be) harder than to find a spouse! For example, it is a big no-no if the female is taller than the male – Ideally, the male should be taller than the female by 6-8 inches!
What a niche market for competitive ballroom dancing!
So, if you do it, you’d better do it seriously with your own goals: be it to win against other competitors, or just to make serious progress against yourself!
3. Know yourself!
My interest in ballroom dancing was 100% due to DWTS (Dancing With The Stars): I liked what I saw on TV and noticed that former athletes tend to do very well.
So, as a former “amateur” athlete, I set my goals high …
4. Know myself!
As a former college athlete (in basketball and track-&-field), I have very strong legs, an evenly developed body, and reasonably good coordination skills. Better yet, I have been working out daily for the past two decades, and I never had a serious injury! So, all my body parts (e.g., knees and hips) are in good working conditions.
However, shortly after I started dancing, I found out that I have “lazy” knees (e.g., not bending down enough), like many men (and women) of my age. Worse yet, ballroom dancing requires some different muscles which I simply do not have! Worst of all, I forget faster than I learn!
The solutions to them all: more dance lessons! So, I take two lessons a day, six days a week, plus weekly in-house coaching and periodically guest coaching!
4. Know the industry!
Two highlights:
- It is 50/50 dancing/judging.
- How many competitions do you go to?
Let me briefly elaborate on each …
4.1 It is 50/50 dancing/judging
Unlike a “real” sport (e.g., swimming) with objective measurements (e.g., time), ballroom dancing is an art. So, like all arts (or even some art-like sports, such as gymnastics), judging is subjective, biased with your personal taste or even politics!
One way to make yourself known to the judges is to go to many competitions across the country, if not internationally!
4.2 How many competitions do you go to?
As many as possible?
Here is the reality: In 2022, there are some 130 dance events (aka “competitions”) in the U.S. – Yes, you can practically compete every day, as each event is, on average, 3 days!
I understood this early and quickly, and made a firm decision: I would only participate in the competitions in town (Chicago). Two main reasons:
- If I cannot win it in town, what is the point to go out of town?
- I have a business to run. Any out-of-town trip will cost me dearly – It is wiser to stay home, taking more lessons, even daily, instead!
Nevertheless, after my 1st big win at an in-town competition (Chicago Crystal Ball 2019), I opted to go out of town, but only to the big ones – OSB (Ohio Star Ball) 2019 1st!
5. Why OSB 2019 1st?
The fact that there are so many ballroom dance events is actually very good for us. Two main reasons:
- It gives us a lot of choices.
- It makes the event organizers work hard to distinguish themselves, which is the beauty of the free market.
Among all these events, OSB stands out for one main reason: Sam Sodano is a genius in marketing and organizing – His Best of the Best is why OSB 2019 was our 1st competition out of town!
6. Know myself, really!
Below are two videos, showing how my dance (Waltz) has improved over time, while my physical capability has declined (e.g., no lifts in 2022).
6.1 Best of the Best solo at Ohio Star Ball 2019
6.2 Best of the Best solo at Ohio Star Ball 2022
7. Making the industry better!
After OSB 2021, I proposed to Sam Sodano for two additions to the OSB:
- Gentlemen 9-dance.
- Gentlemen Best of the Best.
My proposals were based on one single argument: what is the point of competition, if men have no chance of winning?
Sam listened!
He added “Gentlemen 9-dance” to OSB 2022 and promised to add “Gentlemen Best of the Best” to OSB 2023, which is now a reality as evidenced below.
I participated in “Gentlemen 9-dance” at OSB 2022 (and finished 2nd). I will contend for Gentleman Best of the Best in 2023!
8. Staying sharp mentally
In addition to running my own business full-time with a big hobby in ballroom dancing, I write and publish weekly. Below is my latest book: History 2.0 – China’s Comeback vs. America’s Decline.
Care to read this book and then judge?
You can read the 1st 50 pages online, FREE (by clicking “Look inside”). Enjoy!
9. Closing
As stated in a previous post of mine (It is never too late to dance!), ballroom dancing is the best thing happened to me over the past decade, and I am determined to dance into retirement …
