Enjoy the Mix

Fun at the Twin Cities Open

Nicholas Westlake

You will always find familiar faces at a dance competition. The higher you climb up the competition ladder, the more you're surrounded only by people who have dedicated significant time and energy to their personal study of dance. This makes for a nice reunion vibe at each competition, which fits right in with the competition elements you get accustomed to: unpacking in the dressing room, sharing space on the practice floor, lining up in the on-deck area, etc. When every event is highly structured by design, I find the little differences from one competition to the next really stand out.

My dance partner and I had the pleasure of competing earlier this summer at the Twin Cities Open (TCO) in downtown Minneapolis. TCO was an exciting destination for us because it came with some features we rarely get to enjoy. Many of our friends and family were cheering in the audience, and we had the (surprisingly) uncommon opportunity to see couples we coach competing live instead of on YouTube. (We're proud to say Przemek and Ligaya won their events!)

One thing stood out that I didn't expect to notice: variety. I frequent amateur-centric competitions, so I don't see many instructors competing with their students. I also don't see pro/am couples sharing the floor with am/am couples. Plus, I don't often see different age levels sharing the floor. At TCO, I saw all three, and it made for one engaging heat after another.

It's heartwarming to see how instructors fill so many roles as they dance with their students. Each instructor made their entrance to the floor as the the perfect complement to their student. Throughout the first dance, the instructor would stay a cool, calm professional, even if their partner started to show strain. Between dances they'd take on a mentor-like encouraging role. It was easy to see looks pass between the partnership that said, "We're just fine. We've only got three dances to go. Let's finish strong." By the end of the round, the floor was filled with a sea of instructors making I'm-so-proud-of-you faces (not to mention students clearly pleased with their work).

Also mixed in were some youth and junior couples. If you want to see a powerful, dominant tango performance, check out a five-foot-tall tween couple working to hold their own on a busy floor of adult competitors. They dance out with a visible awareness that they need to display a high degree of power and clarity to even be seen, much less marked well.

Despite all the diversity of visuals on the floor, I was impressed by how often I forgot I was watching a batch of heats sharing the floor. Each couple would have their moment of intensity that drew my attention. From one dance to the next, a couple would go from being a passing background fixture to being the main event. It was a pleasant reminder that everyone has their strengths.

So let this be a friendly reminder that there are many facets of the dance and competition experience to have fun with. Enjoy the routine, and enjoy the surprises.