My first out-of-town ballroom dance competition was OSB 2019, and I placed 4th (Gentlemen, Open Smooth, age-group C). After that, I started privately claiming that I am America’s most efficient male amateur in pro/am ballroom dancing (age-group C initially and S1 now) based on this simple fact: All the other five finalists had been dancing for many more years than I had. Now, it is time to reveal this claim publicly!
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. We did, and we danced well at the wedding. After that, I moved on to competitive pro/am dancing while she “suspended” her effort.
2. Getting in shape
I am competitive. It soon became obvious that to dance 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 was down to my college weight by the end of 2015. Better yet, I have been keeping it that way since then!
3. Results and progression
I am result-oriented. Let me describe my progress in seven major milestones:
- Chicago Harvest Moon 2015
- Chicago Harvest Moon 2017
- Chicago Crystal Ball 2019
- OSB 2019
- OSB 2021
- 2022: the USDC and OSB
- 2023: the USDC and OSB.
To briefly highlight each …
3.1 Chicago Harvest Moon 2015
This was my first competition with my first pro partner, Lauren Byrnes.
For more, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCvZ6xrMnDY.
3.2 Chicago Harvest Moon 2017
This was my second competition, and the first with my second pro partner, Jaana Lillemagi, who has been my teacher since August 2017 – More on her in Section 4.
3.3 Chicago Crystal Ball 2019
I registered my first big “win” – What a thrill!
Furthermore, we won the BoB, resulting in an invitation to the BoB finale at OSB 2019.
3.4 OSB 2019
This was my first out-of-town competition. I did well, as highlighted below.
3.5 OSB 2021
This was my second out-of-town competition. I did well, as highlighted below.
3.6 2022: the USDC and OSB
USDC 2022 was my third out-of-town competition. I did well, as highlighted below.
OSB 2022 was my fourth out-of-town competition. Below is a summary:
- 2nd in Gentlemen Rhythm Championship (photo below)
- 3rd in Gentlemen Smooth Championship
- Top Student Award (Gold, Male).
3.7 2023: the USDC and OSB
At USDC 2023, I had the best finish (3rd) ever against ladies at the USDC or OSB (photo below). Oh, I also received the Top Student Award (Gold, Male).
At OSB 2023, I finished as follows:
- 2nd in MIB Rhythm Scholarship (photo below)
- 3rd in MIB Smooth Scholarship
- Top Student Award (Gold, Male).
4. My teacher and professional partner
Her name is Jaana Lillemagi. She is a 2-time Estonian National Champion in Ballroom and Latin. She won the Rising Star in Open Professional Rhythm at USDC 2009 and was a 9-dance finalist at USDC 2010. In addition, she owns MDH (My Dance Hub), a dominant competitive pro/am dance studio in Chicagoland. Below are two photos from USDC 2023.
Below are two photos from OSB 2023.
5. My amateur partners
My first amateur partner was Nichelle Tang Kennedy (Chapter 13). We competed as an am/am couple occasionally from 2019 to 2022.
My current amateur partner is Kayla Carpenter.
The best part about am/am dancing? It is free! Very critically, both amateurs become better at real ballroom dancing, with the man leading and the woman following, without any compensation from any pro partner!
6. Summary
The image below highlights my dance journey through Chicago Harvest Moon …
The image below highlights the high honors I have received from the USDC and OSB.
7. Discussion
Competitive pro/am ballroom dancing is a serious business for professionals, but it is just a hobby for amateurs, especially for senior citizens like me.
7.1 It is just a hobby for you, amateurs!
Do not take it too seriously: If you win, nice. If not, so be it!
On the other hand, pro/am competitive ballroom dancing is very expensive, requiring a lot of time and money. Besides, you need to be in good shape physically, if you want to be anybody in this dancesport. Very critically, you need to find a matching pro partner (aka “teacher”), who is often (said to be) harder to find than a spouse.
What a niche! So, if you do it, do it seriously with your own goals: be it “in it to win” against other competitors or just to progress steadily against yourself.
7.2 Know yourself!
My interest in competitive pro/am ballroom dancing started 100% due to DWTS: I liked what I saw on TV and noticed that former athletes tend to do very well.
As a former college athlete (in basketball and track and field), I have very strong legs, an evenly developed body, and reasonably good coordination skills. Better yet, I have been working out daily to stay in shape for the past two decades. Very importantly, I never had a serious injury. So, all my body parts (e.g., knees and hips) are in good working order.
However, shortly after starting dancing, I realized I have “lazy” knees (e.g., not bending down enough), like many folks my age. Worse yet, ballroom dancing requires some muscles I do not have. Worst of all, I forget faster than I learn.
The solution to them all: more dance lessons! Over the past few years, I have been taking, on average, two lessons a day, six days a week. Additionally, I have in-house coaching weekly and guest coaching almost monthly.
7.3 How many competitions do you go to?
In 2023, there were some 130 dance competitions in the U.S., which means you can easily compete weekly. I understood this early and quickly and made a firm decision: I would participate only in the competitions in Chicagoland. Two main reasons:
- If I cannot win it at home, what is the point of going out of town?
- I have a business to run. Any out-of-town trip can be prohibitively expensive. So, it is wiser to stay home and take more lessons instead.
Nevertheless, after my first 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 2019, first.
8. 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).
- BoB at OSB 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_XzLSLlIcI
- BoB at OSB 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHIrEcaU_M.
9. Make the industry better!
After OSB 2021, based on one single argument (“What is the point of competition for men if they have no chance to win?”), I proposed two additions to the OSB:
- Gentlemen 9-dance: It was adopted in 2022.
- Gentlemen BoB: It was adopted in 2023.
Of course, I participated in both inaugural events, placing 2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023.
10. Closing
I love ballroom dancing and will continue doing it for as long as possible. Ballroom dancing has given me so much that it is time for me to give some back, such as producing this book, with more to come!
