My 1st out-of-town and big dance competition was OSB 2019 and I finished 4th (Open Smooth, Gentlemen, C). The other five finalists had been dancing way longer than I had. Since then, I have been claiming to be America’s most efficient amateur man in ballroom dancing, age-group C then and S1 now. This claim has been private until now …
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 my wife “suspended” her effort.
2. Getting in shape
I am competitive. It soon became obvious that in order 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 – See image below. I have been keeping it like that since then!
In short, ballroom dancing is the best thing happened to me over the past decade!
3. Results and progression
I am result-oriented. Let me describe my progress in six major milestones:
- Chicago Harvest Moon 2015.
- Chicago Crystal Ball 2019.
- OSB 2019.
- OSB 2021.
- USDC 2022.
- OSB 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 – See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCvZ6xrMnDY.
3.2 Chicago Crystal Ball 2019
This was my 1st big “win” – See image below.
3.3 OSB 2019
This was my 1st dance competition out of town (Chicago). I finished 4th (image below).
After that, I started claiming, privately, that I am America’s most efficient amateur man in ballroom dancing, based on this simple fact: All the other five finalists had been dancing for many more years than I had – They were all veterans, knowing each other by name at least, while I was the new kid on the block, intimidated by the huge crowd while having trouble to find where the restroom was …
3.4 OSB 2021
This was my 2nd dance competition out of town. I finished 2nd – See image below.
3.5 USDC 2022
This was my 3rd dance competition out of town. I finished 3rd – See image below.
3.6 OSB 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.
The image below is a highlight.
4. My teacher and professional partner
Her name is Jaana Lillemagi. We have been partners since 2017. The image below highlights our 1st dance competition (Chicago Harvest Moon, 2017).
The image below highlights our dance competition at OSB 2022.
5. My amateur partner
Her name is Nichelle Tang Kennedy, and she is arguably America’s best amateur in ballroom dancing (“Dancing Queens”: A Critical Review)! We compete as an am/am couple occasionally – See two images below.
For us, am/am dancing is complementary to pro/am. For example, we do some drills, which we rarely do with our respective pro partners – Who wants to use paid time to do these simple drills?
The best part of am/am dancing?
It is free!
6. Competitive ballroom dancing
Competitive pro/am ballroom dancing is a serious business for professionals, but a hobby for amateurs, especially for senior citizens like me.
6.1 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 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”), who 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 business for pro/am 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!
6.2 Know yourself!
My interest in competitive ballroom dancing was 100% due to DWTS: I liked what he saw on TV and noticed that former athletes tend to do very well.
As a former college athlete (in basketball and trace-&-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 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!
6.3 How many competitions do you go to?
Here is the reality: In 2022, there were 130 dance 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 can be prohibitively expensive – It is wiser to stay home, taking more lessons, 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 2019 1st!
6.4 Why OSB 2019 1st?
We were invited to compete at OSB 2019, after winning the “Best of the Best” at Chicago Crystal Ball – See image below.
7. 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).
7.1 Best of the Best solo at OSB 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_XzLSLlIcI.
7.2 Best of the Best solo at OSB 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHIrEcaU_M.
8. Making the industry better!
After OSB 2021, I proposed 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 for men, if they have no chance of winning?
Both were accepted – “Gentlemen 9-dance” was added in 2022 and “Gentlemen Best of the Best” in 2023!
9. Closing
I love ballroom dancing! It is the best thing happened to me over the past decade. I intend to continue to dance for as long as I can.
Currently, there is only one gentleman clearly ahead of me in both Smooth and Rhythm (age-group 61+): Scott Magnesen. I am determined to catch up with him, efficiently, as this is a Marathon: beat him or outlast him!
This post will be one chapter in my new book – See cover below.
