Capital Dancesport Championships

[ChaChaMama]

Who is going? Who is competing? What events?

We will go for Friday and Saturday, and will compete in amateur international latin on the silver level.

We're just learning a new paso routine, yet since fools rush in where angels fear to tread, I have decided that yes, we will enter cha-cha/rumba, samba/jive, and paso. I think there is also a cha-cha/rumba/samba 3-dance event for silver, and we will enter that too.

I believe entries are due July 31st, so I guess I should get those forms sent off!

Hope to have some other DanceForums people to cheer on there!

:) ChaChaMama

[Katarzyna]

We are thinking of going, not definite yet...

[pygmalion]

DC, I assume. :? Any website for more info? 8)

[ChaChaMama]

capitaldancesport.net

:) ChaChaMama

[pygmalion]

Thanks. 8) :D

[sunderi]

Going to watch only. Probably Saturday.

[pygmalion]

Alexandria? Wow. That's gorgeous! :D Great for sightseeing before or after the comp. 8)

[Joe]

I don't think the comp venue is all that close to Old Town or Mt. Vernon.

[pygmalion]

Oh. I wasn't thinking big name places, but the town itself. I find it pretty charming. 8) But I guess if you're there without transfortation, sightseeing might not be the easiest thing to do. :?

[Katarzyna]

We are most likely coming with Andy and Julia

[Katarzyna]

As of now, we will be there :)

[Kitty]

when is it?

[Katarzyna]

August 25-28 in DC. Andy is driving, we are leaving at 5 am :) yay, another lovely early morning

[alemana]

i'll probably be there. would like to dance, will probably just be spectating.

[ChaChaMama]

Do it, Alemana! And if your teacher is willing to go, why not compete? What's the worst thing that could happen?

I just pulled out my program from last year. (Yes, I file all way too much stuff. I'm a bit of a pack rat that way.) Last year, syllabus latin (ME) was slated for 10:35 PM on Friday. Amateur standard (Katryzyna?) championships started at 2:05 PM on Saturday.

Possibly we could collectively catch dinner at the hotel or somewhere close by at around 5 PM. I'm hesitant to go too far, as I believe the evening session starts at 7 PM, and we like to be right at the door. (We paid for table seats, but my husband likes to have a choice of seats at the table, as he takes a ton of photographs.)

:) ChaChaMama

[Katarzyna]

We are driving from NY, and going back right after the comp... As far as I know...

[sunderi]

I'd be up for meeting up if anyone is interested. :)

[alemana]

i might be going... will ask coach tomorrow.

[alemana]

almost time for capitol - will anyone who's going to be able to post pro results for the poor slobs amongst us too broke to go?

[Katarzyna]

I will post results if I'm there when they are announced

[Indiana_Jay]

I will post results if I'm there when they are announced

Kat.

Good luck and thanks in advance for posting results. One of our new friends at our studio is competing and We'd love to know how she does (without having to wait until we see her at the next studio party).

Jay

[alemana]

dziekuje katarzyna.

[Katarzyna]

dziekuje katarzyna.
:)

[Katarzyna]

I will post them if I'm there during the events. Haven't checked the schedule yet..

[ChaChaMama]

If Kat can't do it, I'll do it after I get home. (That won't be until Sunday afternoon or evening, though.)

:) ChaChaMama

[alemana]

tonight's pro events are:

10:10 PM
Professional Rising Star International Standard Semi-Final

10:18 PM
Professional Basics American Rhythm Final

10:40 PM
Professional Rising Star International Standard Final

10:55 PM
Professional Basics American Smooth Final

11:15 PM
Rising Star International Latin Final

[Katarzyna]

Can you send some results? of course after the events finish :) :D

[wyllo]

What does "professional basics" mean? I've never heard of that category before.

[alemana]

kat - i'm not there! i just copied and pasted from the site.

[Katarzyna]

oh ..

[Larinda McRaven]

What does "professional basics" mean? I've never heard of that category before.

syllabus

[alemana]

i love this idea. i hope there will be some such divisions, esp in my style, at USDC (for pros, i mean.)

[Laura]

I've never heard of it being done at USDSC.

Funny story...my teacher and his partner danced in a pro basics comp once and got disqualified for going out of syllabus! He said he got boxed in and his instincts took over and what came to mind wasn't strictly legal :-)

[alemana]

yeah i can imagine that would be the tendency.

is the 'basics' stuff for pro's a vestige of older ways, or a new thing?

[Larinda McRaven]

old news
It is still used regualrly by the franchises. And they have had it since back when everything was a franchise and independants did not exist. I am not sure why only a few of the independant comps use it.

[alemana]

oooooooooooo! interesting. thanks.

[Wildon]

One of the first ones to use the basic events for professionals was the ISTD. The did this back in the early 70's, but not many pros participated.
Most of the pros that did the basics were pros who also did pro/ams.
Pros like Mark & Dawna Nocera did both Standard & Latin Basics at every ISTD event. The problem is that not too many pros really know the syllabus, since they don't teach it, but the pros who do pro ams know the syllabus since they do teach it every day to their studenrts. So there is a benefit to doing Por/Ams for some pros.

[Wildon]

old news
It is still used regualrly by the franchises. And they have had it since back when everything was a franchise and independants did not exist. I am not sure why only a few of the independant comps use it.

By the way. I don't know how far back you go, Larinda, but there have been independents since the late 60's, into the 70's and 80's. Couples like Bev Donahue & Vernon Brock, Ron Bennett & Glennis Dee, Judi Hatton & Jim Donahey, Sandy Fortuna & Gene Russo, Bill Davies & Sandra Cameron, Ron Montez & Liz Curtis, Fran Rogers & Dennis Rogers, Al Franze & Terry Ruth, all were independents, and all did pro ams, and all did the basics, and all were the top couples in the country at that time. Independents always existed, at least from the 60's till now. So, Larinda, what years do you remember that they didn't exist. WEas it the 30's, 40's or the 50's.

[Chris Stratton]

independent comps didn't exist, or independent couples didn't exist?

[IsaacAltman]

I go back to '72 with Freds. We has pro syllabus comps. Independents did exist, but who cared? :lol:

[ChaChaMama]

CAPITAL DANCESPORT RESULTS!

Professional Open International Standard
1st--Igor Litvinov and Julia Ivleva
2nd--Erminio Stefano and Liene Apale
3rd--Gary Gekhman and Rita Gekhman
4th--Peter Minkov and Julia Kornilova
5th--Gherman Mustuc and Iveta Lukosiute
6th--Slva Sergiev and Katya Sergiev

(An upset in this division, as you can see.)

Professional Open American Rhythm
1st--Tony Dovolani and Inna Ivanenko
2nd--Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine and Yoanna Zaharevich
3rd--Michael Neil and Danielle Wilson
4th--F. J. Abaya and Catherine Abaya
5th--Decho Kraev and Bree Watson
6th--Michael Mitsui and Susan Mitsui.

Two comments:
Loved the second place couple's mambo. I would have had them first in that dance.
Decho Kraev wore RED latin pants and sort of pink-red shoes.

Professional Open American Smooth
1st--Mazen Hamza and Irina Sarukhanyan
2nd--David Rosario and Olga Barashihana
3rd--Steven Dougherty and Eulia Baranovsky
4th--Troy Baeten and Irina Shalkevitch
5th--Christian Clayton and Karthryn Vaughn
6th--Gunnar Sverrisson and Daryll Sverrisson

Comments: Places 2 and 3 were determined by a Rule 11.

Professional Open International Latin
1st--Max Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagorouitchenko
2nd--Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina
3rd--Andre Paramonov and Ms Natalie
4th--Jose DeCamps and Cheryl Burke
5th--Andre and Adriana (last name that sounded something like Schickel, but I seem to recall is spelled nothing like that and more like Przybl, unless I am confusing them with someone else. They weren't listed in the program.)
6th--Alexander Senko and Lydia Petrigova

Comments:
Slavik Krvklvvyy and Karina Smirnoff were listed in the program, but did not dance.
I did not agree with the results of this event and would have had both the 3rd and 4th place couples a little higher. I think Natalie's feet, ankle, and leg action are wonderful, and that their rumba was wonderfully romantic.
I also really liked Jose DeCamps and Cheryl Burke's dancing.
There were at least 3 couples (out of 14) where the woman had loose hair. Surprising to me.

More tomorrow. It's 1 AM and I'm beat!

:) ChaChaMama

[alemana]

THANK YOU!

[alemana]

THANK YOU!

[alemana]

hm i thanked you twice.

oh.. and "ms natalie?" oy.

[standardgirl]

Thank you for the results!

btw, their last name is "Przybyl" - Andrzej & Adriana Przybyl. :D

[SDsalsaguy]

Thanks for the results and comments CCM, much appreciated! :D

[Wildon]

http://www.coloradodancestudios.com/history_of_arthur_murray.HTM

The Arthur Murray Francise studios began officially, from his one studio in NY, in 1937. So prior to that, the Arthur Murry Dance Studio in NY was an
independent dance studio, and so were all of the other dance studios in the US. Go to the above link, if interested, to get the biography of Arthur Murray

[Katarzyna]

Sorry I didn't manage to post resuts, but we run out right after our event.

curious about pro standard. Surprised at the results... curious what people thought..

[ChaChaMama]

I am a big fan of Erminio's dancing (and have taken coaching with him and his previous partner Luana), so I can't give a neutral opinion on the pro event. I thought Erminio and Liene should have won. I'm not saying it was necessarily their best night ever, but I did think they were going to be the winners. They did win both tango and quickstep, but took second in the other three dances.

I'm not a standard expert, so I can't really comment on technique issues. I will throw out this, though: in the semi-final of the standard, there were a lot of floorcraft issues for many of the couples. In one particularly bad collision, Erminio-Liene and another couple actually fell on the floor. (I wasn't looking right when the collision happened, so I don't know who caused it.) I know that the semis supposedly don't matter in the scoring of the final, but I do wonder.

*************
Yes, they had the Marine Corps out for The Star Spangled Banner at the beginning. Neat touch.

THE SHOW AT THE END OF THE EVENING WAS AWESOME! It had an incredible cast, including Alan Tornsberg, and Wendy Johnson's choreography was just SUPER! I wasn't all that impressed by last year's show, but this one ABSOLUTELY BLEW ME AWAY!!!

*************
Amateur International Latin Open Championship
1st--Valentin Chmerkovsky and Valeria Kozharinova 1/1/1/1/1
2nd--Genya Bartoshevich and Olga Chehova 3/2/2/2/2
3rd--Alex Samusevich and Sasha Nissengolts 2/4/4/3/3
4th--Nikolai Pilipenchuk and Natasha Skorikova
5th--Krasimir Petkov and Yana Blinov

Val and Valeria were awesome, especially their rumba. I disagreed some of the other placements. I had Nikolai and Natasha in 2nd.

*************
Two awesome Youth Latin couples:
1st--Tal Livshitz and Sarah Gleyzer
2nd--Ilya Naumov and Alice Basin

The first place couple in particular was just *WOW*! I want to go to Ohio and watch all the Junior and Youth Latin events!!!

:) ChaChaMama

[Katarzyna]

*************
Two awesome Youth Latin couples:
1st--Tal Livshitz and Sarah Gleyzer
2nd--Ilya Naumov and Alice Basin

The first place couple in particular was just *WOW*! I want to go to Ohio and watch all the Junior and Youth Latin events!!!

Tal and Sara are great :) The will be deadly in couple of years...

[Katarzyna]

For AM standard,

1. Pasha & Inna
2. Andy & Julia
3. Nik & Natasha
4. Alex & I
5. Eugene & Grace
6.. so sorry, didn't get the name

[Nik]

*************
Amateur International Latin Open Championship
1st--Valentin Chmerkovsky and Valeria Kozharinova 1/1/1/1/1
2nd--Genya Bartoshevich and Olga Chehova 3/2/2/2/2
3rd--Alex Samusevich and Sasha Nissengolts 2/4/4/3/3
4th--Nikolai Pilipenchuk and Natasha Skorikova
5th--Krasimir Petkov and Yana Blinov

Val and Valeria were awesome, especially their rumba. I disagreed some of the other placements. I had Nikolai and Natasha in 2nd.


:) ChaChaMama

Eventhough I constantly beat those couples, I danced my worst ever that friday night. Nothing was going right, wasn't balanced and so on. However in the standard I took quickstep from Andrey which I have never done before so yay for me!! :D

[Katarzyna]

However in the standard I took quickstep from Andrey which I have never done before so yay for me!! :D
Good job, Andrey is a good dancer and very worthy competition...

[Joe]

For AM standard,

1. Pasha & Inna
2. Andy & Julia
3. Nik & Natasha
4. Alex & I
5. Eugene & Grace
6.. so sorry, didn't get the name
John & Karen.

[Katarzyna]

For AM standard,

1. Pasha & Inna
2. Andy & Julia
3. Nik & Natasha
4. Alex & I
5. Eugene & Grace
6.. so sorry, didn't get the name
John & Karen.
Thanks Joe

[Ithink]

However in the standard I took quickstep from Andrey which I have never done before so yay for me!! :D
Good job, Andrey is a good dancer and very worthy competition...

Well, considering Andrei is a standard dancer and Nik does (and did on Friday) 10-dance, I think it's that much more impressive :) Go Nik and Natasha!!

As for the surprises in the pro standard, I wasn't there but while I love Igor Litvinov's dancing, I am not at a all a fan of Julia's... Her upper body just looks really stiff to me. So if they won, I'm sure Igor had a good night. Also, isn't Gherman beating Slava also an upset, or is it?

[Katarzyna]

Also, isn't Gherman beating Slava also an upset, or is it?
I think those 2 switch places often...

[standardgirl]

Also, isn't Gherman beating Slava also an upset, or is it?
I think those 2 switch places often...

This is very interesting.
I know a couple who almost always places better than Slava (especially at Blackpool this year, the gap was huge), but at the same time almost never place better Gherman.

I wonder what's going on. It would be nice to know if they competed at Capitol since they were there, but not included in the final result.

[ChaChaMama]

Don't know if this helps, but looking at the program, the other couples in the standard were:

Jean-Francois Messier and Marie Bolduc
Dimitrijus Sazinas and Erica Wells
Alex Young and Pamela Preczewski
(maybe) Robert Kubis and Izabela Jaworska...but I actually think maybe they weren't there and I just forgot to cross them out, because I don't remember seeing them.
Alaiksei Labanau and Iryna Mialyantsava

There were three other couples listed in the program that did not compete:
Giacomo Agrello and Alexandria Hawkins
Michael Lepore and Natalie Lepore
Serguei Bezrodnov and Olga Berzrodnov

********************
On an entirely unrelated note (or two!), while I really liked most of the music for this comp, the Pro Rhythm people got a song for rumba that I definitely would have danced cha-cha to if I heard it at a party.

Earlier this summer, there was a very active thread where some people were claiming that almost all the pro women were sizes 0-4. I had a front row seat for this comp, and I am almost certain this is not true. All the competitors were toned, but I saw multiple women in the smooth and rhythm that I would guess wear between sizes 8-14...still not heavy, but definitely curvy rather than ultra-slender. And while the winning couples in both of these categories were slender, the curvier women were not left out of the final. So I'm going back to an earlier statement I made: the ballroom/latin dance world is a lot more accepting of a range of body types than some other forms of dance.

Drat...I had one or two other things I wanted to say, but am drawing a blank. Perhaps this is a sign that I should get off the computer and get ready for work!

:) Cha-Cha Mama

[mamboqueen]

Congrats on your results, Kat!

[Larinda McRaven]

And while the winning couples in both of these categories were slender, the curvier women were not left out of the final. So I'm going back to an earlier statement I made: the ballroom/latin dance world is a lot more accepting of a range of body types than some other forms of dance.

The bigger girls (I know one of them really really well) may place okay, but they are never free of the constant pressure and harassment over their weight. And occasionally they will be made an example of and left behind completely at a comp... just because. :roll:

[alemana]

right. and/or they will be called out by name in DanceBeat and told not to spend so much time at Pizza Hut.

a rhythm lady i know has been eating one meal a day for some time in an attempt to get herself thinner... imagine eating one meal a day while rehearsing for 3-4 and teaching classes and lessons all evening.

[mamboqueen]

eating one meal a day with all that activity is not going help you lose weight....it just slows down your metabolism more...

you might want to show her this:

http://magazines.ivillage.com/redbook/dh/diet/articles/0,,284479_577038-2,00.html

[alemana]

eh, depends on your metabolism. that strategy works for me in the short term, but as soon as i eat 3 meals again i gain the weight back.

but that's not as interesting a discussion as how F(&*(&*&ed up the body size thing is in ballroom.

[pygmalion]

but that's not as interesting a discussion as how F(&*(&*&ed up the body size thing is in ballroom.

Yeah. I like that discussion better, too. :lol: :lol:

[contracheck]

a rhythm lady i know has been eating one meal a day for some time in an attempt to get herself thinner... imagine eating one meal a day while rehearsing for 3-4 and teaching classes and lessons all evening.
Losing weight in most cases is very easy: Stay away from milk, cheeze, cream, butter, fat, and oil. Milk is particularly bad. Eat lots of raw or steamed vegetables. Eat lots of carb. There is no such thing as good carb or bad carb: all carb is good. If she sticks to this simple approach, She will slim down herself delicously. Look at the undisputable worldwide epidemiology: people who eat carb as main staple are lean and beautiful and people who eat milk-based food or fat have obesity problem. If hungry eat a stick or two of carrots.

[SDsalsaguy]

There is no such thing as good carb or bad carb
Simply untrue based on any and all scientific evidence... but please take that debate over to the Fitness Forums (http://www.thefitnessforums.com/) if you want to continue it. :?

[mamboqueen]

That's funny; I've lost weight (and belly fat) by skipping bread, rice, potatoes and pasta. And my energy levels are much more even than they used to be. So....I'll keep the eggs and cheese, and you can have the bread!

[contracheck]

There is no such thing as good carb or bad carb
Simply untrue based on any and all scientific evidence... but please take that debate over to the Fitness Forums (http://www.thefitnessforums.com/) if you want to continue it. :?
Scientific evidence is that if you hydrolyze any carb, as enzymes in our body do, they all come to the same monosaccharides - exactly same. Our body utilizes these end product monosaccharide. Remeber that there is no bad carb or good carb. Don't be fooled by commercial gimmicks. The case is the same as Protein. If proteins are hydrolyzed, as enzymes in our bodies do (pepsines, trypsisnes, chymotrypsines, and other proteases), they produce exactly the same 20 amino acids. There are no bad proteins and good proteins; they are all same. Stay away from milk. Milk is the Mother of all obesity problem. Most problems of western diet can be traced to excessive consumption of milk or products from milk. This is true.

[SDsalsaguy]

As I said in my first post contracheck, take that debate to the Fitness Forums (http://www.thefitnessforums.com/) if you must.

Otherwise we might begin to think that either carbs or lack of dairy (or some combination of the two) interferes with simple reading comprehension type skills. :shock:

[skwiggy]

Losing weight in most cases is very easy

:roll:

[mamboqueen]

Most problems of western diet can be traced to excessive consumption of milk or products from milk.

I'd have to replace "milk" with "Big Mac Combo Meal" here. There's a lot worse offenders than milk.

Sorry, Jonathan, I didn't eat my carrots, so I couldn't see that bottom line :)

[SDsalsaguy]

:doh:

[contracheck]

Most problems of western diet can be traced to excessive consumption of milk or products from milk.

I'd have to replace "milk" with "Big Mac Combo Meal" here. There's a lot worse offenders than milk.

Sorry, Jonathan, I didn't eat my carrots, so I couldn't see that bottom line :)
Everybody says that you have dancer's dream body. You don't have to worry about what you eat.

[mamboqueen]

You been talkin' to my mother?? *LOL*

[ThreeStep]

What's a dancer's dream body anyway? Actually for women, most of them seem to agree on what it is...but what is the dream body for a guy? And for a girl looking at said guy?

ThreeStep
(sparky)

[Joe]

Dream body...Heidi Klum...dream body...mmm. ;)

[contracheck]

Dream body...Heidi Klum...dream body...mmm. ;)
You don't have to look too far. You haven't seen mamboqueen, have you? No body surpasses maboqueen's in my opinion.

[Ithink]

Dream body...Heidi Klum...dream body...mmm. ;)

If you're into the 8-months pregnant and 6 foot tall type, then sure :D

[mamboqueen]

Good response, Ithink! She's still foxy whilst pregnant, though. Hate her!

No body surpasses maboqueen's in my opinion.

You're laying it on a little (no, a lot) thick here!

[Joe]

Dream body...Heidi Klum...dream body...mmm. ;)

If you're into the 8-months pregnant and 6 foot tall type, then sure :D
How's that a problem? Pregnancy is only temporary. Ugly is forever. :)

[Ithink]

Dream body...Heidi Klum...dream body...mmm. ;)

If you're into the 8-months pregnant and 6 foot tall type, then sure :D
How's that a problem? Pregnancy is only temporary. Ugly is forever. :)

Ah, but so is giantness :wink:

[Joe]

I don't plan on dancing with her, so it's not an issue. ;)

[mamboqueen]

And what exactly do you think you're going to do to get past Mr. Klum?? He's pretty BIG!

[Ithink]

And what exactly do you think you're going to do to get past Mr. Klum?? He's pretty BIG!

And looks pretty damn intimidating! Oh, but what a voice :)

[mamboqueen]

I know. Can you imagine him singing to your baby? Or you, for that matter? You figure someone who writes songs like that must be incredibly romantic...(okay, let me think it anyway!)