The Inter-State Dance Challenge, 2007

Last Saturday, Agnes and I competed as a Pro-Am couple in the 2007 Inter-State Dance Challenge here in Northern Virginia. We danced in 21 heats - Open Gold American Waltz, Tango, and Fox Trot; Open American 3-Dance (Waltz/Tango/Fox Trot); Open Gold American Rumba, Cha-Cha, Swing, and Bolero; Open American 3-Dance (Rumba/Cha-Cha/Swing); Closed Bronze International Waltz, Tango, and Fox Trot; Closed Silver International Viennese Waltz and Quickstep; Open Silver Quickstep; Syllabus Bronze International 2-Dance (Fox Trot/Tango); Closed Bronze International Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, and Paso Doble; and Syllabus Bronze International Latin 2-Dance (Cha-Cha/Rumba). The result: 21 first-place finishes! It just goes to show what having a good partner, a good teacher, and a good coach can do for you. The photo above shows a pose from our American Gold Rumba routine...with one of the stern-faced, eagle-eyed judges observing from the left rear.

Agnes also danced 11 heats with one of her students, who also took all first places, so it was a very successful day all around.

If your experience of ballroom dancing is limited to watching "Dancing with the Stars" and saying either "I couldn't do that" or "I wish I could do that," then it's time to get off your wide rear end and sign up for some lessons. Ballroom dancing is enormous fun, good exercise, and one of the last places around where ladies and gentlemen get together and treat each other like ladies and gentlemen. Yes, it takes some work and practice, but what doesn't?

From a man's perspective, there's a lot to be said for a sport that allows you to hold a beautiful, elegantly-dressed lady intimately close for the length of a dance; from the lady's perspective, you get to see your man all cleaned up and looking suave and debonaire. And, for a few minutes, the two of you get to be as suave and elegant as any high-class movie couple.

There's nothing like ballroom dancing to bring a couple together. Try it...you'll like it!

Have a good day. Back to more weighty thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo