Shirielle: This was Shirielle’s first national competition after many years of competing regionally. Her goal was to make one callback. She, in fact, made several callbacks and placed in all but 4 of her dances! She had a great time cheering on all her new friends and her teachers; she especially enjoyed watching Jackie dance in the Pro Show on Saturday night and watching Jesse show off his Irish Scotch heritage in a full kilt!

Cyndi:  Cyndi’s goal was to get one callback from a Semi Final event.  She received 27 callbacks and placed in 18 of those callbacks! Out of the 46 entries that she danced, she placed in 29 of them!  Besides her dancing, Cyndi enjoyed watching our staff as they danced head and shoulders above the other teachers.

Janet: Janet is a seasoned competitor, but still found this competition extremely memorable as she was able to beat Professional Theatre Arts Champion, Jesse Benedetti, and his Pro Am Partner in the Theatre Arts division.  She also placed 3rd in Open American Rhythm.  During the Mix n Match event on Saturday evening, Janet caught the whole crowd when she danced a rousing Tango with the always eccentric, Charlie Penatello.

Felicia:  This was Felicia’s first time at a Las Vegas National and she danced much better than she expected.  She placed 4th in the Smooth Scholarship with Chris and 2nd in the Rhythm Scholarship with Aaron.  She was also blown away by the quality of the professional show on Saturday Night that featured music and dance from all corners of the world.

Darcy:  One of Darcy’s most significant accomplishments in Vegas was being able to dance her sexy rumba routine in a less than modest costume in front of her in-laws.  Beyond that, she felt like this competition was the best that she has danced her open routines.  Darcy is also more than impressed that she was able to walk like a pro in 5 inch heels after a long week of dancing. 

Tina:   Tina won both the Smooth and Rhythm Closed Championships in Vegas and was so excited, she cried.  To add to the excitement, Tina’s husband, Ron made it just in time to watch her winning dances, and watch as the presenters placed the first place medal around her neck.  She enjoyed spending time with the wonderful group of women, and dancing with Chris and Aaron.  They made her feel like every dance they shared was their first.  She feels blessed to be a part of the studio.

Marilynn:  Marilynn placed first in the Rhythm Scholarship and was able to receive that award in front of a friend that came to the competition to visit her.  She also placed 2nd in the Closed Latin Scholarship placing first in the Samba and the Paso Doble.  During the Mix n Match event on Saturday night, she was able to dance with Corky Ballas and Fabian Sanchez from Dancing with the Stars.  What a perfect way to wrap up a fantastic week. 

Umpha:  Umpha gained even more national attention when she danced her way into first place in a Smooth and Rhythm Multi Dance.  As she bathed in her accomplishments, she enjoyed the Saturday night show featuring our own Simona as a Geisha girl, and Jesse and Kimalee, Theatre Arts Champions.

Pattiann:  Pattiann‘s favorite thing about the competition was enjoying the company of such wonderful people.  She danced all her brand new rhythm routines for the first time and received a first place at least once for all of them!  Perhaps the most important thing she is taking away from this comp is the lesson learned that she needs to get out of her own head while she dances!

Donna:  Placed in the top three of numerous events and received several callbacks.  She had a great time watching the exciting Professional Competition and cheering on her teachers.  She also learned the important lesson that she should never let Aaron place Black Jack bets for her.  It’s a quick way to lose some money in Vegas.

Jane:  Jane survived a marathon of dancing as she competed in 100 entries in one day!  She very much appreciated the helpful crowd of dancers that waited on the sidelines with glasses of water and fresh fruit to consume in between heats!  She was proud to be a member of a group of such amazing amateur dancers that stuck out with their great dancing and their beautiful feathers!

Holli: While Holli definitely danced beautifully at the competition, she took away much more than first placements.  She was blown away as she listened to several stories of how Professional dancers entered the industry, and how many of them had to conquer many obstacles on the way.  Now they spend exciting weeks filled with dancing hundreds of entries, rehearsing until the wee hours of the morning, and competing professionally.  She also enjoyed hearing stories of how many of the students decided to start ballroom dancing and how most of them agree that it has saved their lives or at least saved their sanity.  Holli was also fortunate enough to meet a beautiful dancer named Chris who competes in a wheel chair!  What an inspiring week. 

Bette Anne:  Is no stranger to the competition floor.  As usual, she danced beautifully, and impressed the judges enough to win Top Advanced Student.  Defying the laws of gravity, Bette Anne and Chris stunned the judges with a challenging lift right in the middle of their open hustle.  The DWTS judges would have been aghast.  Meanwhile, the Fred Astaire judges were giddy with excitement. 

Congratulations to our Professionals for Representing us so well at CCDC 2010!

Aaron and Jaana placed 4th in Closed Smooth and 3rd in Open Rhythm
Chris and Simona placed 2nd in Closed Rhythm and 4th in Open Smooth
Aleks and Brittney placed 2nd in Open Rhythm
Steve and Melanie placed 6th in Rising Star Rhythm

Aaron won Top Teacher Overall for 2009 and Top Teacher for CCDC 2010
Chris won Runner Up Top Teacher for CCDC 2010
Aleks won 4th place Top Male Teacher for CCDC 2010