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 – See image below. 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: USDC and OSB.
- 2023: USDC and OSB.
Let me briefly highlight each …
3.1 Chicago Harvest Moon 2015
This was my first competition, with my first pro/am teacher Lauren Byrnes.
For more, watch this video:
3.2 Chicago Harvest Moon 2017
This was my second competition, and the first one with my second pro/am teacher Jaana Lillemagi, who has been my teacher since August 2017 – More on her in Section 4.
3.3 Chicago Crystal Ball 2019
This was our first big “win” – What a thrill!
Furthermore, we won the BoB (Best of the Best) contest, resulting in an invitation to be a part of the BoB finale at OSB 2019. We delightfully accepted it, thus OSB 2019 …
3.4 OSB 2019
This was my first out-of-town competition. I placed 4th.
3.5 OSB 2021
This was my second out-of-town competition. I placed 2nd.
3.6 2022: USDC and OSB
USDC 2022 was my third out-of-town competition. I placed 3rd.
OSB 2022 was my fourth out-of-town competition. I finished as follows:
- 2nd in Gentlemen Rhythm Championship (photo below).
- 3rd in Gentlemen Smooth Championship.
- Top Student Award (Male, Gold level).
3.7 2023: USDC and OSB
At USDC 2023, I had the best finish (3rd) ever against ladies.
At OSB 2023, I finished as follows:
- 2nd in MIB (Men In Black) Rhythm Scholarship (photo below).
- 3rd in MIB Smooth Scholarship,
- Top Student Award (Male, Gold level).
4. My teacher and professional partner
Her name is Jaana Lillemagi, a 2-time Estonian national champion and a 9-dance finalist at USDC 2009. She is an owner of My Dance Hub, a dominant competitive pro/am dance studio in Chicagoland. Below are highlights of our competition at USDC 2023.
The image below highlights our competition at OSB 2023.
5. My amateur partners
My first amateur partner is Nichelle Tang Kennedy. She is arguably America’s best amateur in pro/am ballroom dancing (“Dancing Queens”: A Critical Review). We competed as an am/am couple occasionally from 2019 to 2022.
My current amateur partner is Kayla Carpenter.
The best part of am/am dancing?
Do a lot of drills, and everything is free!
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 just a hobby for amateurs, especially for senior citizens like me.
7.1 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 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 that “sport.” Very critically, you need to find a matching partner (aka “teacher”), who is often (said to be) harder to find than a spouse!
What a niche business it is! So, if you do it, you’d better 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 he 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, and I never had a serious injury. So, all my body parts (e.g., knees and hips) are in good working order.
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 solution to all the problems: more dance lessons!
7.3 How many competitions do you go to?
In 2023, there were some 130 dance competitions in the U.S., meaning you can compete every weekend. I understood this early and quickly, and made a firm decision: I would participate only in the local 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 – It is wiser to stay home, taking 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:
- BOB at OSB 2022:
9. Making the industry better!
After OSB 2021, based on one single argument (“What is the point of competition for men, if they have no chance of winning?”), I proposed two additions to the OSB:
- Gentlemen 9-dance: It was adopted in 2022.
- Gentlemen Best of the Best: 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 to do it for as long as I can.
