I participated in this event last night at the San Jose stop of the tour. It was an amazing experience! I highly recommend it to everyone!
The venue was the HP Pavilion - the last time I was there, it was to see Blue Man Group perform. There was a slight mist in the air that we first assumed was from testing the smoke machines, but latter realized was due to the ice beneath the floor. The San Jose Sharks professional hockey team plays there - today even. When we arrived, there was nobody but our group of ten couples, two staff from our studio, and the wonderful woman assigned to guide us through the evening. Walking into that huge space, knowing that it would soon be packed with people, was quietly electrifying. I can't really describe it - the closest experience I've had was the first time I drove into Laguna Seca for a weekend of driver training and time trials. The track was quiet, so the absence of speed and noise and color was palpable, and then you drove down into the pit area, a space where so many great drivers, crews, and vehicles have occupied over the years.
We arrived around 6:30 PM. After being shown to our tables and given time to change our shoes, the floor was available for us to practice and warm up. There was some music playing, although not always suitable for the dancing we'd be doing later
The only thing happening while we were on the floor was the crew testing the lighting, which was neat in itself. It's really hard to describe what it's like to feel like you own the place, knowing that in a very short while there will be thousands of people joining you.
Once the doors were open to the public, we had to leave the floor. This was at 7PM.
There had been a preliminary round of competition on Wednesday to narrow down the field to ten couples. At 7:30, the festivities started. All ten couples danced a Cha Cha, after which five were eliminated. Those of us remaining were called back over to the bottom of the steps and asked a few questions - in our case by Karina. Next, we danced an East Coast Swing that was slow enough that West Coast Swing might be more appropriate (and by the time we realized this, the dancing was over). The two finalist couples were announced, and we sat down. Michelle Nguyen-Huu (my partner for the evening) and I were among the final two couples. The other couple consisted of Richard Grimm and Debra Gardner.
In the middle of the second act, we were brought back out. Wayne Newton and Drew Lachey were the MCs for this part of the show. Each couple had a choice between Cha Cha and Swing. Both finalists chose Cha Cha. We danced one at a time, and then it was time for the voting, which was by audience applause. I had expected a little polite applause from the crowd to get us off the floor and return to the professional shows.
I was wrong.
Richard and Debra were the first couple to be voted on. The applause and cheering was deafening. I was happy for them, and cringed a little inside at what it was going to sound like to hear far less for us. Again, I was wrong. I've done a lot of things in my life, but I've never experienced a crowd that large cheering so loud for my performances! Wayne and Drew looked at each other and realized they couldn't tell a difference between the audience's reaction. They told the audience to only vote for the couple that they wanted to win, and tried again. Again, it was deafening. Drew chastised Michelle and I for clapping for our friends when it was time to vote for Richard and Debra.
In the end, Michelle and I were named the winners!
If you can't figure it out from the rest of my narrative, we had a great time. Our only goal was to be chosen as one of the ten couples so we could see the show, and I believe that was the case for the other nine couples in our group. It is not often that one has a chance to perform in front of so many people. While this made most of our group nervous, it is an experience that should not be missed.
- John
