Vicki stumbled into the world of ballroom dancing purely by accident at the age of 52. Like probably every amateur student ever, she went to a ballroom party and then thought she would just try a few lessons. Before she could hardly catch her breath, she was hooked, taking multiple lessons weekly, and then even competing, known as a “sexy dancer” …
1. Introduction
Vicki had never been very athletic. Instead, her recreational focus was music and the arts. A classically trained flutist and pianist, she has also been a church organist, played in pop and blues bands, and written a novel, book of poetry, and two amateur pop albums she also performed and self-produced. That artistic bent is always in search of an outlet.
In 2001, when cruising with some friends in the Caribbean, she happened to go to a Merengue bar in St. Martin. She was embarrassed that the hip action was totally foreign to her. She came back to the US determined to learn Latin.
She took up Salsa dancing with passion and was even in a student performance group. Her partner happened to be a ballroom dancer. He warmed her up in their practices with ballroom dances (e.g., Cha Cha, Rumba, and Samba) and invited her to ballroom parties. Ballroom dancing seemed so much more intricate, varied, and expressive than just Salsa.
So, it began … The perfect marriage of music and art, so integral to her life, and its physical expression through dance.
2. Getting started
Vicki has worked primarily with Jonah Schneider at FADS Carmel, Indiana (owned by Dan and Nicole Rutherford). She started her competitive career with a regional and then a national FADS competition. It is hard for her even to imagine now, but her first Rhythm costume was a $25 navy blue short fringe flapper-type dress from H&M that she stoned herself. Her first Smooth costume was an unembellished stock design from an internet site. Again, she enjoyed the creative process of stoning it.
But this first national competition sealed the deal. When she was in the ladies’ room, one of the other lady dancers she had admired for her beauty, presentation, and dancing made a point of complimenting her dancing. She has never forgotten how far this small act of kindness went to make her feel comfortable being on the dance floor with so many much more advanced dancers.
The cherry on top was that she got word through the grapevine that Corky Ballas had noticed her on the dance floor and said she was a sexy dancer—Vicki loved it!
3. Keeping it going
Vicki’s competition world expanded beyond FADS, with encouraging results, especially in Rhythm and Latin. Two examples:
- Millenium 2011: Rhythm – 1st in Closed and Open Bronze Championship, 8th in Open (to all) Scholarship. Smooth – finals in Closed-Bronze Championship, Latin – 1st in Closed Bronze Championship
- Emerald Ball 2012: Rhythm – 2nd in Closed-Silver, 6th in Open (to all) Scholarship. Latin – 3rd in Closed Silver Championship, semis in Open Championship.
4. 2013: The pinnacle year
2013 was a banner year for Vicki. She won not only the FADS U.S. Rhythm and Latin Championship at NDC, but also the World Rhythm and Latin Championship titles at FAWC.
She then ventured into the OSB, again – Photo below.
5. 2014 – 2018
Vicki continued competing in her favorite competitions, with respectable results. Some highlights with photos.
6. The ever-changing world
In early 2016, Vicki’s world was upended after her employer outsourced her entire division. She continued competing while in a job hunt. But by 2018, it just was no longer possible financially: Her expertise was in a niche area of technology, and tech employers were seeking younger candidates with lower income requirements. She was left with no other alternative than to create her own opportunity. She had experience in previous employment trading in the financial markets and developing software. So, she ventured into trading stock index futures with the help of 3rd-party and self-written algorithms.
After that, she was no longer geographically restricted. So, in 2020 she moved to Sarasota, Florida, in the middle of the COVID shut-down. It was a difficult couple of years.
7. Finally on solid ground
A relocation like this can be quite an upheaval for an ambitious pro/am competitor. Vicki had to find an instructor who could teach her in the way she learns best, as well as get her seen and present her optimally on the competition dance floor. After a bit of a hunt, a local professional dancer and friend mentioned that Ilya Reyzin, a seasoned and proven dancer, instructor, and coach, was teaching in her area. Vicki was elated! After a 5-year hiatus, she has finally started dancing again, and is eager to get back in shape. Expression comes very naturally to her, but she needs help particularly with the technique, for which Ilya is more than a perfect fit!
Watch out! Vicki, the sexy dancer, is back in the business of ballroom dancing, and may soon show up at your next competition!
8. Ballroom dancing – a poem by Vicki
Show angles and curves, lines and position
Breathe out, calm the nerves, shake off inhibitions
And lose yourself in moments sublime
Your truth and fantasy intertwined
To eager voyeurs you peddle your fiction
While every movement feeds your addiction
Every dance a puzzle for two
The story never just about you
Come in to go out, stretch to contract
Sometimes the most unnatural acts
Illusory, surreal – the little plays you present
With each rabbit hole a deeper descent
Who knew that space makes for better connection
The excitement that comes from neglecting perfection
That ceding control is the fast lane to free
That something so primal could help me find me
This path isn’t the easiest or always the best
But I can’t go back to a life unexpressed
Regardless the fallout of my decision
Dance is my mantra, my drug, my religion
9. Closing
For Vicki, the beautiful thing about ballroom dancing is that there is always more to learn and achieve. The journey is always full of fun and adventure – She just plays along the way, while making lifelong friends who support and encourage her to keep progressing toward her ultimate best.
