Dance Beat - Emerald Ball 2015 Coverage by Dance Vision

Emerald Ball 2015

Dancesport Photography

e! or M r fo ck a B g in om C p ee They K Report by Keith Todd

The venue, LAX Hilton, has not changed since Wayne & Donna Eng took over the reins of the Emerald Ball twenty-six years ago, so competitors are returning to experience a new hotel or environs. Nor are they coming for a relaxing vacation – a competition of this size always has a tight schedule even though the addition of extra days has loosened this somewhat. No I believe the Eng’s attention to detail has simply put his event on the map as a “must do” competition, particularly for West Coast dancers. Hence, in addition to new competitors, we see many of the same

How do you measure the success of a competition? Is it the number of entries? Emerald Ball 2015 had 14,132 entries this year. Is it the quality of the professional divisions? Emerald Ball had strong entries in all professional categories. Or is it the amount of dancers who come back year after year? Maybe this is the measure of a competition’s success an if so, Emerald Ball is a wonderfully successful event!

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

faces competing year after year at Emerald Ball.

Mary Tweeddale

Returning to the Pro Smooth, Peter & Alexandra won all dances with the majority of first places. There is certainly a lot of heat coming from the couples below them and so far they are responding well to the challenge. Mikhail & Galina Zharinov took second overall with 2,3,2,2. They had a mix of scores from the judges including five first place marks in the VW and at least three in the other dances. They did also receive

Dancesport Photography

Peter & Alexandra Perzhu won the Smooth on Friday night, a competition that did not begin until midnight. In fact we all finally left the ballroom at 2:16 AM Saturday morning. Why so late? This event was danced on Friday, the day of pro-am ballroom. This year the pro-am ballroom had around 3,000 entries that all had to be danced in one day. This is the full size of a medium two or three day event! I was quite surprised that so many of the audience stayed until the end, a true tribute to the dancers in the Professional Smooth and the Professional Latin who shared the stage.

Mary Tweeddale 2

two sixth places. Mazen Hamza placed second in the tango and third in the other dances for an overall third place finish. They gave a solid performance in their usual style and seemed unaffected by the lateness of the hour. Nick Cheremukhin & Viktorija were fourth in all tonight and did not quite seem to have their usual magic on this occasion. Perhaps the late hour was an issue for them. We saw a very interesting finish to this final with a Rule 11 tie between two BYU alumni. On this occasion and for the first time I believe, Kyle & Allie Spinder placed ahead of Travis & Jaimee Tuft in this tiebreak decision. Kyle & Allie placed 6,5,5,6 and Travis & Jaimee, 5,6,6,5.

the majority of the second placements and a couple of first places in each dance. The only judge who did not place them at least second overall was Corky Ballas who scored them 3,4,4,4,4. As Mary Tweeddale with the first two couples, third placed Andrei & Natalie Paramonov were easily third in all dances, although surprisingly to me, they actually received only one first place and that was in rumba from Melissa Dexter. Natalie sported a new slick hairdo – quite different from her look of the last few years. The scores were a little more varied for the remaining three couples. The experience of Mikhail Vlasov & Vanda Polakova paid off and they were fourth scoring 4,4,4,5,4. The elegant Danus Jaksevicious & Yuki Haraguchi took fifth with 6,5,6,4,5 – perhaps not a clear as they would have liked. A brand new partnership, Vard Margaryan & Mandy Carlisle was sixth 5,6,5,6,6 and they picked up a few third places here and there. Vard was a US finalist last year with Sofia Fil, and Sofia was also dancing with a new partner, Alberto Cortes and they made the quarter-final, although I thought they could have made the semifinal.

Scott Anderson has a full report on this division on page 14.

The Open Rhythm also had the nation’s leading contenders in attendance and the judges adhered closely to the current ranking, at least for the top three. Emmanuel Pierre Mary Tweeddale Antoine & Liana Churilova easily won all five dances with a large majority of first places in all. Similarly, Nazar Norov & Irina Kudryashova were clearly second with 3

Jason & Sveta Daly offer their opinions on this division on page 23.

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

nothing less than third from any judge except Irina Sarukhanyan who scored them 4,3,5,5,4 and Michael Mead with 4,5,2,3,3. Alexander Voskalchuk Mary Tweeddale & Veronica Egorova were third in all dances, but had to work a little harder at it than I expected. They had the majority of third or better scores in only waltz. Rudiger Homm & Katia Kanevskaya received perhaps the best result of their new partnership placing fourth in all dances and actually receiving more second places than Alexander & Veronica. The happiest couple in the final was probably the new partnership of Iaoslav Bieliel & Liliia Gladiuk who were fifth in all dances in what I believe was their first competition together. A great start for a really promising partnership. With 6,7,6,6,6, Andrew Begunov & Anna Demidova were probably somewhat disappointed as just two weeks before in Philadelphia they finished ahead of Rudiger & Katia. Closing this sevencouple final were Oscar Pedrinelli & Lenka Kovalcikova with 7,6,7,7,7. This championship was run in memory of Brian Puttock, the long time Chairman of Judges at Emerald Ball who passed away

Mary Tweeddale

As usual at the Emerald Ball, hometown favorites and second ranked professional Ballroom couple in the world, Victor Fung & Anastasia Muravyeva made a US appearance at Emerald Ball and to nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise were the winners. They received nineteen first places, the maximum, in all five dances. Artem Plakhotnyi & Inna Berlizyeva had the comfortable majority of second places in all dances and received Mary Tweeddale

Yulia Kuznetsova were third, placing 2,2,3,2,2. Personally, I was surprised by the lower finish in rumba. Yulia’s specialty is her wonderful foot and leg action and this shows to perfection in rumba. Taking that second in rumba and third place overall were, Gunnar Gunnarson & Marika Doshoris from England 3,3,2,4,5. Marika had a great smile and they were well rehearsed as a couple. Fourth overall was awarded to Dmitry Nikishkin & Olena Shvets 4,4,6,5,3. Fifth went to Evgeniy Likhachev & Maria Levina 5,5,5,3,4. This was actually a tie between Dmitry & Olena and Evgeniy & Maria, when the points were all counted they both had 22 each, but this tie was easily decided by a simple rule 10 and that how the results came out. Concluding the final were Roman Italyankin & Alexandra Bokova who placed sixth overall 6,6,4,6,6. Perhaps this was a disappointing result for them.

last year just after acting as Chairman for the last time here at Emerald Ball.

Mary Tweeddale

The Professional Latin that shared the “late billing” with the Smooth was for me the least exciting. Although I saw some interesting and noteworthy couples in the early rounds, none of these made the final six. Nikolai Voronovich & Maria Nikolishina were undisputed winners, taking all dances with a majority of first places. However, I did not think this was a stand out performance from them perhaps because their closest rivals, US Champions Cocchi/Zagoruychenko and Kuttsky/Kovalova were not there to push them. Andrey Tarasov &

You can read Cecilia Giovacchini’s report on this division here on page 19.

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

The professional Rising Star divisions were also very well represented and the winners this year were Vladislav Shahov & Ekaterina Popova (Ballroom), Aaron & Iryna DeSotto (Rhythm), Mykhallo Bilopukhov & Anastasia Shchypilina (Latin) and Adrian & Hannah Dydynski (Smooth). The Smooth was a particularly interesting result since Adrian & Hannah, although the overall winners, won only the Viennese Waltz and placed second in the other three dances. Radek Wiatrowski & Denise Sobiewski won the other three dances but placed sixth in Viennese Waltz. That sixth placed dropped them to second overall.

Mary Tweeddale

Five couples contested the Professional Showdance. Travis & Jamie Tuft were the easy winners receiving seven of the available nine first place marks. The other two went to the runners-up, Jamie Black & Robin Ray. Third were Oleg & Nataliia Loparev, fourth Ivan Berkovic & Dena Anne Weiner and fifth Nazar Batih & Mariko Cantley. Mary Tweeddale

Mary Tweeddale

The two Open Amateur events took place Saturday night. The Ballroom was the stronger event in terms of ranked couples. US Champions (NDCA), Andres & Veronika End were the 6

easy winners tonight with the majority of first places in every dance. The battle for second actually produced a reverse of the placements from the US Championships in March, with Marek Klepadlo & Liana Bakhtiarova placing ahead of Ruslan Kalyuzhnyy & Kseniya Sovenko in all dances. Fourth fell to Dimitriy Vorobiev & Sofie Elliot, all dances. Fifth in all were Thomas Yim & Sophie Cheng and sixth, Scott Nicholson & Evgeniya Gorobets.

The pro-am divisions were of course, enormous and the Open Scholarships certainly among the best in the nation, many beginning with over 30 couples. I would like to recognize a few students who placed in multiple finals of the open scholarships. First and foremost congratulations must go to Lisa Lowery and her instructor Radek Wiatrowski from Florida. Lisa won three Open Scholarships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C Rhythm, C Smooth and C Latin. In addition Lisa was also a finalist in the Open C Mary Tweeddale Ballroom. Praise also to another multi facetted competitor, Lynn Murrel, who placed in three Open Scholarship finals with two different professionals. Lynn placed third in the C Rhythm and second in the C Smooth with Peter Perzhu Mary Tweeddale and second in the C Ballroom with Alexander Voskalchuk. Yulia Rudenko, dancing

Mary Tweeddale

Nikolai Tarasov & Amanda Herrschat were the winners in the Amateur Latin taking all dances and all except the samba with the majority of first places, although I was a little surprised to see some random sixth places and even seventh awarded to this strong young couple. Second fell to Sigurdur Thor Sigurdsson & Annalisa Zoanetti with 2,3,3,2,2 over the Youth winners, Bumchin Tegshjargal Michelle Klets with 3,2,2,3,3. Teleryk Ianakiev & Natella Devitskaya were fourth in all; Hai Tran & Stacy Chuang fifth in all; Jacob Murillo & Sydney Tormey sixth in all; Cristian Solares & Whitney Myers, seventh in all. Daniele Gozzi has a full report on the Amateur Latin on page 34.

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

with her father Andrei, moved up from the youth divisions this year and placed first in the Open A Smooth and third in the A Ballroom Scholarships. Another multi-teacher effort resulted in two final placements for Tammy Knight - fourth in the C Ballroom with Artem Plakhotnyi and fifth in the C Latin with Oleksiyy Lytvyn. Another twoteacher success story was Natalie Rezai who won the A Ballroom with Sergey Kiselev and was second in the A Smooth with Slawek Sochaki. I would also like to give a shout out to Jacob Tsai w/ Yuliya Kuznetsova who was the only gentleman to win a “mixed” Open Scholarship, the A Latin.

Mary Tweeddale

The Emerald Ball began with the proam Rhythm and it took two days to complete all the divisions, ending with the Open Scholarships. Of the three open divisions the C was the largest with twenty-two entries and I thought the most exciting. There were several new players fighting for the top spots. In the end, however, experience paid off and seasoned competitor, Lisa Lowery w/ Radel Wiatrowski managed to win all dances and I think the judges made the right decision. Lynn Magnesen w/ Vard Margaryan, a newer pairing, took second in all dances and this lady with a little more work on feet and

Mary Tweeddale

legs could be a great force in this division. Lynn Murrell w/ Peter Perzhu was third 4,3,4,3,4 and I thought she showed tremendous improvement in this style that has not always been her strongest.

Sophia D’Angelo w/ Ilya Reyzin was fourth, 3,4,3,4,5. This is also a relatively new pairing and literally the sky is the limit for this talented lady. Dianne Caracciolo w/ Nazar Norov Mary Tweeddale took fifth 5,5T,5,5,3. Dianne has such a lovely demeanor on the floor that she is very easy to watch. Joan Goddard w/ Aaron Talbert was sixth 6,5T,6,6,6. The B division began with a semifinal and here the winner, again in all dances, was Gwen Bourque w/ Aaron Talbert. Gwen showed her usual soft use of 8 Mary Tweeddale

arms and body. I also liked the runnerup, Jacqueline Bequette w/ Daniel Lee Tran who indeed took second in all dances. The remaining places were less decided. Third went to Heidy Kellison w/ Sean Tamashiro 5,4,3,3,4. Fourth was Isabel Collins w/ Slash Sharan 4,3,5,4,5. Fifth went to Sharon Power w/ Jason Daly 6,5,4,5,3 and sixth went to Tracy Hannon w/ Misha Konstantynov 3,6,6,6,6. I thought Tracy could have finished higher.

won all dances here. Second went to Natalie Rezai w/ Slawek Sochaki 3,2,4,4. Third was Jessica Spink w/ Peter Walker 5,5,2,3; fourth Madison Stribling w/ Mayo Alenan Mary Tweeddale 2,4,5,5; fifth Sara Jess w/ Tomas Mielnicki 7,6,3,2; sixth Irene Lee w/ Nick Cheremukhin 4,3,6,6; seventh Melissa Jensik w/ Dave Hannigan 6,7,8,7; eighth Samntha Rico w/ Morten Jensen 8,8,7,8. As you can see the judges were quite undecided in this division and I can understand why. The competitors were all of a very high standard but had quite different styles.

Nadia Kireyko w/ Daniel Vasco was the certain winner of the A division, I thought. Only four couples entered and Nadia won all dances. Second in all went to Natalie Petersen w/ FJ Mary Tweeddale Abaya, third in all to Jessica Sweeney w/ Jeremy Pilling and fourth in all to Ann Shaw w/ Daniel Lee Tran.

The B gave us a close finish with the win going to Aiyesha Dey w/ Mayo Alanen 1,2,3,1 over Sincha Sincharoen w/ Max Sinitsa 4,1,1,2. Third Christina Donelson w/ Mary Tweeddale Peter Perzhu 2,3,2,3; fourth Patricia Schneider w/ Nick Cheremukhin 3,4,5,4; fifth Amanda Levine w/ Morten Jensen 5,5,4,5; sixth Suki Kramer w/

There were two senior divisions offered also and the winners were Pat Bodin w/ Conde (S1) and Susan Miller w/ Hayk Arshakian (S2). Next up, beginning on Wednesday night, were the pro-am Smooth divisions. The Open A Scholarship was won by Yulia Rudenko w/ Andrei Rudenko who has recently moved up from the youth division. This young lady will be very difficult to beat in this style and she 9

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Gunnar Sverrisson 7,6,6,6; seventh Lance Smith w/ Tone Jacobsen 6,7,7,7.

Friday was the busiest day of dancesport so far this year at an NDCA event with close to 3,000 pro-am entries plus assorted amateur and professional divisions. The Pro/Am Ballroom scholarships were super well attended, most with quarter-final rounds.

Lisa Lowery w/ Radek Wiatrowski notched up her second win at Emerald by taking all dances in the C Smooth. Second went to Lynn Murrell w/ Peter Perzhu 2,2,3,3 who continues to improve in all styles. Third was Michiko Cantor w/ Evgeny Malko 4,5,2,2. I really liked this lady’s performance today. Fourth was Sue Eldred w/ Artem Plakhotnyi 3,4,4,4; fifth Monica Broch Mary Tweeddale w/ Kris Suakjian 5,3,6,5; sixth Paige Riffle w/ Alex Zagrean 6,6,5,6. In the Senior divisions, Janice Smiith w/ David Weise won the S1, Diana Best w/ Alosha Anatoliy won the S2 and Lawrence Mitchell w/ Shalene Archer won the S3.

The “A” had an eight-couple final in the end and top placement went to Natalie Rezal w/ Sergei Kiselev 2,1,1,1,1. This is new pairing and appears headed for great things. Second was awarded to Julia Shen w/Alexander Voskalchuk 1,2,3,2,2, another good new pairing and third was Yulia Rudenko w/Andrei Rudenko 3,3,2,3,3. The judges’ scores were all over the Mary Tweeddale ballpark for most of these couples. Firsts and sevenths in the same dance were not uncommon. A typical example was for fourth placed Vinnie Miller w/ Denis Kutepov who finished 5,5,4,4,4 but had first placements in all dances. Fifth was Rebecca Kuhn w/ Andrea Feraci 4,4,5,5,5; sixth Deanna Beglyarova w/ Simeon Stoynov 8,6,6,6,6; seventh Irene Lee w/ Nick Cheremukhin 7,8,7,7,7 and eighth Irene Lau w/ Mikhail Avdeev 6,7,8,8,8.

Mary Tweeddale

Tammy Knight w/ Artem Plakhotnyi 3,4,3,3,6; fifth Connie Edmonds w/ Samuele Pacchini 2,5,7,5,2; sixth Beatrice Wang w/ Giampiero Giannico 6,6,5,7,5 and seventh Lisa Lowery w/ Radek Riatrowsky.

The “B” Ballroom was awarded to Celia Chou w/ Erminio Stefano and she placed first in all dances with almost Susan Puttock who awarded Celia 4,3,6,5.4 Mary Tweeddale Second went to Carol Simmons w/ Serghei Pogonet (Canada) 3,2,2,2,2, and third was Julie Zhao w/Denis Kutepov 2,3,3,3,3. Fourth and fifth positions were decided by a Rule 11 tiebreak and Ling Ma w/ Edgar Gasjuns took the higher spot with 6,5,4,5,4 over Brynda Insely w/ Martin Reinbold 4,6,5,4,5. Sixth place went to Michelle Peng w/ Mikhail Avdeev 5,4,6,6,6.

There was also a very strong Gentleman’s Open Scholarship offered and I must say that many of these men could have featured in some of the Open Finals. The winner was Mike Brown w/ Anna Oblakova 1,2,1,1,1. Second was veteran Senior Ballroom competitor, Hans Stork, trying his hand in the pro-am arena with Victoria Mary Tweeddale Karzukhina 2,1,2,3,2. Another regular in the amateur senior divisions, Vince Feingold dancing with Frantsiska Yordanova was third, 3,3,3,2,3. Fourth Liang-He Hu w/ Olga Tsikalyuk 5,5,4,4,4; fifth Ming Wang w/ Shalene Archer 4,4,5,5,5; sixth Takeshi Kawaratani w/ Bianka Zubrowska 6,6,7,6,6 and seventh Charles Reasner w/ Viktoria Soto 7,7,6,7,7.

The judges were again, quite undecided in the “C” division and most couples received everything from first place to last place in all dances. However HyeKyong Park w/Linas Koreiva did manage to win all five dances. Second was Lynn Murrell w/Alexander Voskalchuk 5,2,4,2,3, leaving third for Jenny Fong & Victor Veyrasset 4,3,2,4,4. Fourth was Mary Tweeddale

The Senior 2 was won by Susan Walter w/ Samuele Pacchini and also with Samuele, Debra Cottone won the S1 multidance. 11

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Van Tassel w/ Kirill Nikitin 5,4,4,5,5 and sixth Michelle Peng w/ Nikolai Voronovich 6,6,6,6,6.

Saturday saw the close of the pro-am divisions with the Latin. The Open A Latin Scholarship was the only open scholarship won by a gentleman at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerald Ball. Jacob Tsai w/ Yuliya Kuznetsova won the division 2,2,1,1,1. The runner-up was Vera Xu w/ Jacob Zeglin with scores of 1,3,2,2,2. The remaining first place in Mary Tweeddale samba went to another gentleman, Michael Roberts w/ Milana Plinar 4,1,3,4,4. Fifth overall went to Sabrine Strasser w/ Stanislav Kochergin (Canada) 5,5,5,5,3 and sixth Grace Kuan w/ Evgeniy Likachev 6,6,6,6,6.

Lisa Lowery w/ Radek Wiatrowski won her third Open Scholarship of the week, taking the C Latin. Lisa won all dances, but it was a fight. In a couple of these dances she received only two first places and was even picking up some eighth place scores. Second went to Lorraine Peoples w/ Andre Gavriline 2,4,2,2,2. Interestingly, Lorraine had the same total amount of first places as Mary Tweeddale Lisa. Rhonda Lynch w/ Stephen McCann was third, 3,2,3,3,3 and she too had first places in all dances. Fourth was Tasha Romero w/ Evegeniy Likachev Mary Tweeddale 4,3,5,6,4; fifth Tammy Knight w/ Oleksii Lytvyn 5,5,4,7,6; sixth Suzanne Saperstein w/ Ricky Bentzen 6,8,7,5,5; 7th Lisa Markovic w/ Igor Danilla 7,7,8,4,7 and 8th Alicia Chung w/ Ilie Bardahan 8,6,6,8,8.

Tina Broccole w/ Delyan Terziev was the easy winner of the B division winning all dances with the majority of first places. Second went to Canada, Mary Tweeddale Hilda Li w/ Roland Michtchenko 3,2,2,3,2 over Carolyn Howard w/ Sasha Althukov 4,3,3,2,3. Fourth Katherine Kuan w/ Jakub Zeglin 2,5,5,4,4; Fifth Svetlana 12

Janet Colleran w/ Aleks Nashev won the S2 and Jenny Chen w/ Nikolai Shpakov won the S3. Interesting to note, two of the top three teachers at Emerald Ball 2015 were women. Shalene Archer from Tennessee was the top teacher and Katie May Lee, also from Tennessee was third. David Alvarez, from California, who has been top teacher at Emerald Ball six times was second this year.

Mary Tweeddale

Although all the pro-am and professional divisions finished on Saturday, the Emerald Ball continued with a very full Sunday session of amateur and junior divisions.

So how successful was this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerald Ball? By my calculations, we have to see how many people return again next year. My guess is that almost everyone will be back! Good job Wayne and Donna! -KT

Dancesport Photography

Dancesport Photography 13

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

l a n io s s fe ro P n e p O Smooth Report by Scott Anderson

It is always such a pleasure to judge the Emerald Ball Championships. This event has always been one of my favorites because it has a little bit of everything… high level of competition, well attended heats, array of vendors, awesome dance camp, and those California beaches nearby (if you get the time to go!!) Thanks to Wayne & Donna Eng for continuing to produce a “first class” competition – you and your staff are great!! Since competing in the American Smooth with my wife, Amy, we have seen a lot of transformation in what constitutes “Smooth” dancing…. I guess this is why it continues to be so interesting and a matter of personal taste and interpretation! I wish, as a judge, I had the time to watch the couples longer – particularly in the early rounds – as the standard of dancing has grown to great heights!

Mary Tweeddale

One couple that caught my eye in the early rounds was Morten Jensen & Anastasia. They ended up placing 5th in the Rising Star and made the Quarterfinal in the Open.

Kris Suakjian & Briana Haft – I loved their “look” and presentation, but they were a distant 8th in the markings of the judges. I would love to see more speed and level changes in their choreography.

Another couple that caught my eye and has a promising future to me was Jean Paul & Lana Rossi who were 6th in the Rising Star.

Evgeny Maiko & Anna Shahbazyan – I’ve always been a fan of their dancing, but not a contender yet to make the final in this strong field.

The Semi-Final Mary Tweeddale had some fabulous couples, but the one that stood out for me – that did not make the final – was Yegor Novikov & Alexandra Smirnova. They missed the final by only three marks! Mary Tweeddale Wow – did this couple catch my attention! They have super potential! Yegor really seems to “feel” the choreography. I absolutely loved their Foxtrot. After talking with some of the judges after the event, Michael Mead agreed with me on the assessment of this couple – they can easily make the final at major events!

Adrian & Hannah Dydynski – Congratulations to their first place finish in the Rising Star. They seem to be “everywhere” this year and are showing much improvement! To me, however, there seems to be too much “posing” in their dances and not enough movement which is more evident in a tough Open Semifinal where they seemed to get “boxed in” traffic. Vladimir & Vera Kosarev – this man danced a lot of Pro/Am throughout the week and looked a bit tired when it came to the Open Pro division. They need to be more dynamic if they want to move up. Radek Wiatrowski & Denise Sobiewski – Although Radek also danced a lot of Pro/Am throughout the week, he was still very strong in the Open Pro. To me, Denise needs to dance stronger to match him better. This division is very athletic and this couple needs to address that.

The other couples in the Semi-Final only received a handful of marks from the judges, but are worth mentioning.

And now onto the final…. 15

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

2 – Mikhail & Galina Zharinov 2,3,2,2 This couple is very elegant, classy, and controlled. For me, sometimes they seem a bit quiet. I would like to see stronger shapes, more swing and sway, and changing from left to right rotation throughout their choreography. Galina is so expressive – I would like to see more of that from Mikhail.

Dancesport Photography

1 – Peter & Alexandra Perzhu 1,1,1,1 For me, they were easily first tonight. They have interesting choreography with a nice blend of closed and open work. Great use of the ENTIRE floor – I really like how they work in and out of center. They have a very strong interpretation in all the dances. Mary Tweeddale

3 –Hamza Mazen & Izabella 3,2,3,3 When not judging, I always love to watch these two. Tonight, I hardly saw them from where I was standing. Although they can create strong movement together, they seemed “stuck” on the outer edges of the floor. I would love to see them work in and out of center more. Creatively they are always “cutting edge” which I admire.

Mary Tweeddale

5 – Kyle & Allie Spinder 6,5,5,6 (R11) These two were my “MVP’s” of the night. I gave them second in the Foxtrot! Great entrance with fabulous energy and choreography that seemed to hit on every accent. I loved their choice of costume which really stood out on the floor.

Mary Tweeddale

4 - Nick Cheremukhin & Viktorija 4,4,4,4 Personally, I have not seen this couple compete more than a few times. Having said that – I really like how “in tune” they seem to be with each other from start to finish. I was very impressed with the mix of closed to open positions with seamless transitions.

Mary Tweeddale

6 – Travis & Jamie Tuft 5,6,6,5 (R11) I loved their Showdance number – they always “feel the message” with strong emotional performances. I felt they didn’t deliver that as much in this event. To me they seemed too quiet, and never really danced in my corner.

A word of “advice” to ALL couples….

Mary Tweeddale

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

It is not up to the judges to try and find you on the dance floor….. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE WE SEE YOU!! Don’t assume that just because you are dancing a style that “moves” around the floor that we will eventually see you. There are several Smooth couples whose choreography never makes it further than one short and maybe one long side of the floor. Remember, “line of dance” should zig/zag in and out of the center of the floor. Don’t hug too much to the outer edge – use the entire space. I understand that it may be difficult with so many couples on the floor – but in most events, the Chairman usually “splits” the heats so the couples can move freely (even in the Latin & Rhythm events!) However, this advice goes out to those couples that made the Final as well. Just because you are a seasoned competitor doesn’t mean the judges automatically know your number and assume your placement. Each competition is different and everyone has a chance at getting my mark – but only if I see you! Again – congratulations to all the couples in this event. You can tell everyone is training hard and gearing up for the United States Championships! Also, thanks again to Wayne & Donna Eng for providing such a great atmosphere for the dancers to dance in. -SA

Dnacesport Photography 18

Mary Tweeddale

n ti a L l a n io s s fe ro P n e p O Report by Cecilia Giovacchini

The Professional Latin this year started with a very competitive first round. Although competitive is a good thing, I was left feeling a little uninspired on the overall quality of the dancing.

Every year the Emerald Ball hosts some of the finest dancing in the country and this year it did not disappoint. All levels and styles this year started with at least a quarter final and ended with high-level finals in all categories.

I was left wanting to see more use of music, sometimes I wonder if some of the couples are even really listening or if they are more into doing then experiencing. I also want to see more man and woman that capitalize on those special moments, dancing with one another through a clear understanding of technique.

A huge congratulations to Wayne and Donna Eng for their continued success in organizing one of the largest competitions in the country. 19

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

It seems at the moment the majority of the dancers are prioritizing much more on precision, pictures and speed. Although these concepts are important and do indeed play a part in good dancing, they should not be the only priorities.

1. Nikolai Voronovich/Maria Nikolishina (11111) Overall I felt they had a solid performance tonight and although this was their first competition after a long break, experience shined through. They have been a partnership for a very long time and this proves to be a positive for them. Nikolai has a wonderful use of upper body and knows how to create proper space for his partner. Maria is a great match for Nikolai and has a touch of innocence to her performance, which I like. However, I feel Maria does not work her body enough. I miss hip action and find her to look stuck in the upper body at times. Perhaps if she finishes each action to the very end her body will look more fluid and grounded. This would add an extra feminine quality and softness that I think is missing.

In my mind, good dancing is a balance of many different priorities all playing a role in the development of the overall product: 1.Music 2.Partnering 3.Technique 4. Attitude/Performance, etc. Overall I felt music and partnering to be a very low priority for most of the dancers, which disappointed me. I would love to see the couples start to put more focus in this direction, this would also allow a more natural interpretation of each dance which creates the performance organically without having to fake it. In the end we want to see you enjoy the moment not pretend to. The final:

Mary Tweeddale

Mary Tweeddale 20

2. Andrey Tarasov/ Yulia Kuznetsova (22322) Very strong and solid dancers with huge potential! I find Yulia to have some of the best legs and feet in the industry and she knows how to use them. They are very precise and very clear in every choice they make, but with that said I still feel there is a lot that they are not doing enough of. Each dance looks the same and there is not enough variation and character in each dance. The use of speed is also monotonous, I almost feel like they don’t ooze or breathe enough in their actions to show the contrast of speed, this in turn makes their movements small and thin. Yulia is a very sultry dancer, however, I don’t feel they capitalize on that with the choices they make; the woman does not need to match the man’s speed, or energy level instead she should be given a little more time to take advantage of every drop of that music. If they can accomplish this I think it would add an extra dimension to their dancing that I think is missing.

3. Gunnar Gunnarson/ Marika Doshoris (33245) This is the couple I found most improved. I remember Gunnar dancing with a few different partners, however, I think he found one of his best matches with Marika. I really enjoyed Gunnar’s use of music and timing in his body and Marika’s very Latin style. They were the only couple in the final that had a clear use of characterization in each dance, which was very refreshing. I felt they had a much more well-rounded approach to their dancing and even though I placed them higher in the final they lacked consistency. I feel they have all the right elements to their dancing, however, they should work more on stamina and keeping that sparkle in the body from beginning to end. Well done!

Mary Tweeddale

4. (By Rule 10) - Dmitry Nikishin/ Olena Shvets (44653) A very dynamic couple, full of energy, and very musical! I really enjoyed their Mary Tweeddale

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

physic for dancing and if he can start to work on more body rhythm I think he could potentially be one of the best males on the floor. Maria needs to work more on using the ground and shifting more weight onto her standing leg. I feel she keeps her weight too forward which causes her heels to be slightly lifted; this does not allow her to drop her hip and finish her action.

performance and I love seeing a couple phrase their routines to the music. However, to compete for the top three spots they need to focus on contrasts of speed. There is no fast without slow and I think they should work on places in their routine to delay the timing more to help create speed instead of just trying to be fast. They tend to look busy without any fullness in body action. Since they are so musical if they focus more on working the body and the timing I think the musicality will come more natural and help to highlight their chorography.

Mary Tweeddale

6. Roman Italyankin/Alexandra Bokova (66466) Every time I see this couple I appreciate the improvement. I also feel Roman has found a wonderful partner in Alexandra. I find her to be very fresh and I love the flexibility in her body. Roman has a great physic, however, I feel his action at times looks forced and unnatural. I find him using more twisting action without enough compression through the floor. By using compression first it would soften his body and allow a much more natural body rhythm. This would also allow Alexandra to absorb a softer lead, which would give her more time to show how far her body can really go. I marked this couple much higherâ&#x20AC;Ś continued success to you both. -CG

Mary Tweeddale

5. (By Rule 10) - Evgeniy Likhachev/ Maria Levina (55534) I feel this is a couple that has a lot of potential. They have a beautiful look and are always easy to watch. However, I feel their approach to Latin dancing to be very different than what I think it should be. They have a very balletic style that promotes great posture and not a lot of Cuban action. They are at times too straight and not grounded. Evgeniy has a great 22

m th y h R l a n io s s fe ro Open P

for the sixth place in the final, which eventually went to Vard Margaryan and Mandy Carlisle. In our opinion, this place could have also been occupied by either last year’s world finalists, Riccardo Papi and Sabrina Moretti, who demonstrated a beautiful male/ female relationship, or Ivan Dishliev and Marieta Nedyalkova, with their clean and easy to read American Rhythm action.

Mary Tweeddale

Report by Jason & Sveta Daly We must start by saying how impressed we were by the attendance and the level of Saturday night’s Open Professional American Rhythm. There were many new and exciting couples, a lot of talent, and very interesting interpretations. Most of the U.S. national final was in attendance, making the event exciting and unpredictable. The final distribution of marks was significantly varied for the last four couples. In addition, there were approximately five great couples fighting 23

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

As excited as we were to see many talented couples, we were still disappointed in the apparent lack of understanding for the basic action and character of each dance, even from some of the top couples. With some of the discrepancies in technique came some of the musicality issues. First, jive timing and actions in swing create a very slow and heavy look that almost appears off time. Second, popping-up on count one in bolero makes the dance look abrupt and empty as the melody continues. In contrast, there should be a deep action on count one, with a slow rise through the center on count two. Third, slamming knees in cha cha makes the dance seem labored and flat through the body.

Mary Tweeddale

swing. Both dancers are American Rhythm veterans with previous partners. We have always enjoyed Vard’s energy and enthusiasm, but sometimes we feel like these qualities detract from his dancing and his partner. Mandy looked and danced great! We’re excited to watch this couple’s progress and know we will be hearing about them in the future.

The days when dancers were confused about action and musicality are over. There is now enough information available thanks to the American Rhythm congress, dance camps, and the many coaches who agree on what is required. With each year the American style is growing and becoming stronger, which gives us great pride and we are excited to see it appreciated to such an extent. Every dancer in this final was very well trained and had a unique personality. There was not one couple that was similar in style, which made the event all the more interesting to watch. 6th place went to a new partnership, Vard Margaryan and Mandy Carlisle, who placed fifth in the cha cha and 24

Mary Tweeddale

5th place was awarded to Danas Jaksevicius and Yuki Haraguchi, with sixth in cha cha and swing, fifth in rumba and mambo, and fourth in bolero. They are a very good-looking couple with a passionate approach. Their choreography was very creative and entertaining, but this overshadowed their beautiful actions, given the limited time available to judge each couple.

Mary Tweeddale

profile couple making a transition from International Latin to American Rhythm. As a fan of this couple’s dancing for many years, we were hoping they would bring a fresh outlook to this style. Unfortunately, we saw the same tricks, the same look, and the same persona. We believe that this talented and seasoned couple can be outstanding if they start over and create the new Andre and Natalie. We can see that they are working hard with the American style action and we see a lot of improvement from the previous competitions.

Mary Tweeddale

In 4th place were Mikhail Vlasov and Vanda Polakova with fifth in bolero and fourth in the remaining dances. We loved this couple’s energy and the male/female approach. They had great connection and feel for the music. We found that sometimes their actions did not match each other and we would like to have seen a more grounded swing, as the jive-like action made the dance look a little slow and heavy at times. However, their mambo was one of our favorites.

The next two couples were clearly ahead of the other couples on the night. They were both very different in style, relationship, and technique. In our opinion, on the night, these two couples were a lot closer than the marks reflected.

Andre and Natalie Paramonov placed 3rd in all dances. This is a high 25

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

another. We would also like to see Irina become a little more dominant in this partnership and for Nazar to show her off a little more. They had a great night and we are excited to see what they will bring to this style.

Mary Tweeddale

Nazar Norov and Irina Kudryashova were awarded 2nd in all dances. This couple gave everything they had from the very first round. What we love the most about this couple is the pure dancing – beautiful actions and understanding for each individual dance, along with great connection and musicality. This is another couple that has transitioned together from International Latin. From the very first competition, they have shown that they have done their homework. They came to this style with a fresh look, new routines, and appropriate rhythmic action. Sometimes they can look a little too rehearsed and lack the fun exciting moments from one round to

Mary Tweeddale

The winners of this event are the current U.S. and World Champions, Emanuel P Antoine and Liana Churilova. This couple is often the audience favorite, due to their exhilarating and fun performance. They have great chemistry together and have a great time together in every dance. Their playfulness can sometimes detract from their dancing, leaving the judges uncertain. This couple’s best round was the final, because that’s where 26

they gave everything. Becoming Champions last year came with a responsibility to demonstrate strong dancing from the moment they step onto the floor. We have great respect for this couple and what they have achieved. This is a very exciting time for American Rhythm, with many high level couples fighting to make the finals of all the major competitions. We hope that the understanding of action and identity will continue to grow. Nothing is certain but everything is possible. Good luck to all of these amazing couples for the remainder of 2015. -JD & SD

Dancesport Photography

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Youth Latin

Report by Bill Sparks It was a pleasure to once again judge one of the most prestigious competitions in the United States, the Emerald Ball. This year one of the most exciting events to watch and judge was the Youth Latin 5 Dance Championships. This event featured some of the top youth competitors from both coasts and it was exciting to see them share the floor as they competed for the championship.

ment; but improvement needs to come in the form of understanding the body and how it works in regards to the study of technical basics, as well as a bit more

In 6th place was couple number 676 Peter Will and Necole Sheiman. Nicely danced and with strong commit 28

Couple 546 - Nikolas Constantine and Michelle Balshin finished in the 4th position. This was good dancing from this couple and they both seemed to never give less than 100%. In the earlier rounds I did witness a lack of body tone which caused them both to dance with the lack of control and balance, which distracted me from their dancing; as well a small amount of unnecessary force which caused things to look a bit to hard at times. Overall a great job by this couple.

self-belief. All of these will allow this couple to find greater strides with their dancing and greater results.

Finishing 5th was couple 748 Brandon Keck and Kaylee Christensen. This couple danced filled with energy from the first round to the final. Unfortunately their enthusiasm to impress, although fully appreciated, began to give way do to the absence of sound principals. For improved results in the future I hope to see better quality and attention put into the fundamentals in each dance. Finishing 3rd was couple 761 Murat Medzhidov and Valerie Dubinsky who won the Youth Ballroom event. They are a good couple that displayed maturity, confidence, and good action in movement with out overreaching themselves. Murat has a very artistic approach to his dancing and Valerie is wonderfully feminine in her presentation and in all her movements. As a couple they appear totally in tune with each other and very clear in what they want to present. Well Done! 29

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

In 2nd place was couple 543 Mitchell Itkin and Natasha Shevchenko. These eye catching and energetic dancers appear to love competing. They both danced very comfortably and confident tonight. I remember this couple immediately from their impressive performance at Ohio Star Ball. On that night I found them, at times, very intriguing as they have that special combination of talent, good looks and charisma. Natasha shows a passion and purpose in her dancing, but Mitchell, who displays strength and power in his movements, can look a little heavy at times. Congratulations on your second place finish!

The 2015 Youth Latin 5 Dance Champions were Bumchin Tegshjargal and Michelle Klets of California. Bumchin demonstrated strong confidence and nice rhythmicality from the start. They both compliment each other well with a great connection between them. Michelle is a very solid young lady of Latin and for me the strongest female of the competition. One of the most notable features of their dancing for me was there clear and simple, musical style. Congratulations on your well deserved win! Once again congratulations to all the dancers participating in The Emerald Ball Championships 2015 and to Wayne Eng on organizing a fabulous competition. -BS 30

Youth Ballroom

Report by Dasha Sushko

top notch! I was honored to be a part of the distinguished panel of Adjudicators. The competition atmosphere was so positive and friendly that you could forget about a competitive factor and really enjoy beautiful dancing at this great event. Moreover there are so many places to go in your spare time that you can plan a little vacation while coming to Emerald Ball. Wayne & Donna have thought of everything! Congratulations on another yet very successful year!

The Emerald Ball Championships is one of the most prestigious competitions in United States. It is held in the beautiful Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. This competition has been organized by Wayne & Donna Eng for 26 years and has since become one of America’s premier ballroom events and a “must do” competition for people to attend either as competitors or spectators. From large Pro-Am divisions to Amateurs & Professionals, and of course to all the Junior divisions, the quality of dance was

The high quality of dancing was no more evident than during the Youth Ballroom 5 Dance Championship event. This event 31

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

was a straight 6 couple final that attracted the most successful couples throughout the United States who needed to hit the floor running because there were no second chances.

In 5th place was Peter Wilk and Necole Sheiman. They are a good-looking couple that has great potential. I would like to see their top improved, it was too low, over the summer. They also looked a bit flat for me with no usage of their tops. Stamina has to be improved as well. With improvement and time this couple has the potential for success.

Finishing sixth in all dances was John Swiger and Arina Shtykova. The couple looked a bit heavy that night and in my opinion there was not enough drive and usage of their feet. I recommend that they spend the summer improving on the technical aspects of their routines. In the end I feel as though they need more time in order to compete on this level.

Finishing 4th was Brandon Keck and Kaylee Christensen. This couple had big and beautiful shapes. But Kayleeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top was a bit too high. I would like to see them both more grounded in their feet. I suggest spending more time on improving basic principles of Ballroom Dancing.

In 3rd place was Robert McShinsky and Peyton Munson, a very elegant couple with good floor presence! They started strong, but by Viennese Waltz they got tired and lost their frame and positions. For such a tall couple I would like to see them move more across the floor and use their legs. I would also like to see them more in right position; sometimes Peyton would shift to Robert’s center. But in general I like this couple and believe they have a lot of potential. Congratulations on your bronze finish!

Finising in the top position taking 1st in all dances except the Waltz was Murat Medzhidov and Valerie Dubinsky of Massachusetts. Having been together less than a year this very young and exciting couple are the future couple to watch! They both have a lot of power and energy and they were able to showcase it from their first dance to the last. You can tell that they cross train in fitness because they had better stamina than most competitors in this competition, including the professionals. Their Quickstep was by far the best on the floor! Murat’s upper body was very active with lots of shapes. I liked Valerie’s look that night: beautiful hair, makeup, and gorgeous Emerald Dress! For a new partnership, Murat & Valerie looked together and fluent. Congratulations on well-deserved win!

In the overall 2nd position was Scott Nicholson and Evgeniya Gorobets, also a very tall and very good-looking couple! They had a great start winning the Waltz with their confidence, good movement, and good usage of their feet and legs. However I didn’t see enough shapes and volume in their other dances. By the 4th dance they looked visually tired and because of that they need to build their stamina. Their overall scores show that with improved stamina they both have a lot of potential. Congratulations on your 2nd place!

Once again congratulations to all the dancers participating in The Emerald Ball Championships 2015! It was a real honor for me to be a

part of this amazing event! The venue, the atmosphere, the organizers and most importantly, the level and the amount of competitors this year exceeded all expectations! Once again, congratulations to Wayne & Donna Eng! -DS

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

Mary Tweeddale

Report by Daniele Gozzi

Open AmateurLatin 1st Nikolay Tarasov and Amanda Herrschatt (1/1/1/1/1) This couple just won the US 10 Dance Amateur Championship in Provo, Utah. Their performance was clearly superior to other couples in this final. Their personality on the floor and their attention to the music put them a step ahead throughout all dances. Nikolai is a very strong male with great potential but I would like to start to see more depth in his body timing and coordination. He has a good presence on the floor and knows how to perform, however, I feel sometimes it would be nice to see him dance more with his partner than with the audience. Amanda is an extremely talented girl, very different from everybody else on the floor; I love her personality. Her body is very flexible and with some more precision in the center and foot placement she could

This event started as a large semifinal. No US Finalists were present so the overall level was not as high as in years past.

Mary Tweeddale 34

quickly step up to the next level. I would like to see her softening her actions and thinking more of finishing her hip instead of prioritizing the next step. Overall, as a couple I would like to see more interaction between one another.

believe they have all the right priorities and qualities in place to become a top contender… with a little more attention to performance they could prove to be one of the top couples in the future.

Mary Tweeddale

3rd Bumchin Tegshjargal and Michelle Klets (3/2/2/3/3) Fantastic couple with a very bright future! Bumchin and Michelle are the US Latin Youth Champions and Bronze Medalists in the US Latin Under 21 Championships. Even if it’s just their first year dancing with one another they are already showcasing a great maturity that is bringing them great results not only in youth but also in the Open Amateur. The chemistry of this couple is amazing, they constantly interact with one another and their personalities are a breath of fresh air. You cannot, not love them! Michelle is a very strong dancer, very athletic, she commits 100% to every thing she does and power and speed are her strong assets. I would love to see her breath more

2nd Sigurdur Thor Sigurdsson and Annalisa Zoanetti (2/3/3/2/2) I like this young couple. They are a great match and have a very well rounded quality of dancing. Their dancing didn’t have many flaws but at the same time it didn’t produce anything amazing. At times they looked very quiet and that is what put them out of contention for first place. Annalisa is a very sultry dancer with a good understanding of Cuban action that creates an amazing hip action. At times she looked at little heavy, but with more awareness in coordinating the moving leg with the shifting of the spine this problem could be quickly fixed. On the other hand I found Sigurdur a little thin with not enough use of opposition and volume in the upper half of the body. Overall I 35

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , America’s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com

through her center and relax her hip into the floor, this would increase her speed even more and she would gain a more continuous movement in her body and more stability with the floor. Bumchin is a tremendously talented boy, probably one of the most talented I have encountered in a long time. His natural sense of music is superb, giving him a fantastic body rhythm. Music and partnering seem to be his priority and his passion while dancing. I would love to see him work more on leg action precision and body depth.

in changing directions, body rhythm and musicality. Their performance and intensity would rise tremendously. Looking forward for their next performance to see if this night was just an off night.

Mary Tweeddale

5th Hai Tran and Stacey Chuang (5/5/5/5/5) A great night for this young couple. I thought they danced much better than what I have seen in the past. I thought their energy level had improved which contributed to a better performance. However, technically they are not at the level of the first four couples. I found Hai’s arms to be a little uncoordinated at times and his spine not very vertical. He needs to go back to the basics. I think Stacey has a lot of potential and overall is a very talented female dancer, however, she should work on finishing her actions to help create more volume in the body. As a couple they should focus on dancing with one another since they seem to keep it very individual.

Mary Tweeddale

4th Teleryck Ianakiev and Natella Devitskaya (4/4/4/4/4) They are a very well matched couple and their strength is usually their sharpness and speed but I don’t think this was one of their best nights. Tonight they actually looked a little slower then usual trying almost to work on volume to look bigger… not worth it. I think they should concentrate on their strengths and their body type qualities. I would love them to explore speed changes and clear intention 36

Mary Tweeddale

6th Jacob Murillo and Sydney Tormey (6/6/6/6/6) This young couple has a great look. Their grooming choices are always on point and they are very easy to find on the floor. However they have many areas where they need improvement. Sydney is a very beautiful talented dancer with great potential, it would be nice to see her maximize her hip action and opposition to show more three-dimension in the body. Jacob is very precise and very clear in his impacts, however, he needs to work on the action between the impacts otherwise it looks thin and one-dimensional. They both should work more on understanding body rhythm, just moving the body is not enough. At times they can look a little slow, more use of the floor can improve that as well. They have many years of dancing in front of them, and with the right training their future is very bright.

7th Christan Solares and Whitney Myers (7/7/7/7/7) This couple has shown a lot of improvement in the last few competitions. Tonight they both had a great performance and good overall energy. Christian has a great personality and knows how to express his passion for dancing. I would like to see him work more on details. All his actions seem to be flat and undeveloped. He also needs to work on foot placement to help clarify his timing. Whitney has improved a lot in her feet and leg actions and now I feel should work on cleaning up the arms and upper body. The top sometimes can look messy and uncoordinated. -DG

Republished with permission from Dance Beat , Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foremost Dancesport News Source. Visit Dance Beat online at www.DanceBeat.com