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Volunteer Report

Behind the Scenes at the Twin Cities Open

By Seth Westlake

Standing in the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, I watch as the equivalent of my entire college tuition walks by in the form of twenty-some beautifully crafted ballroom dresses. Professional dancers from every corner of the United States stride past me in perfectly measured steps, side by side with their partners. Every spectator, including myself, has fallen to the hypnotic spell. A moment such as this, one that reaches the peak of human awe and inspiration, is a moment seen and produced in only the best of competitions. However, as a spectator or competitor, you'd never stop to think about the work it takes to produce it. The cost in dollars and man-hours is only truly realized by the people behind the scenes. Competitions, like ballroom dancers, require many hours of preparation before even a single event, but whereas dancers run on food and water, competitions instead run on volunteers.

The process of going from an empty hotel ballroom to a bright, beautiful, world-class competition stage has become increasingly complicated. The size and complexity of an event such as the Twin Cities Open will, ideally, inflate—much like the value of a dollar. It's with this growing complexity that organizers must compensate by arranging for more volunteers to be part of the process.

What draws people to this kind of work, and where do more volunteers keep being found? The first step in answering these questions starts with understanding the power of the ballroom community. Hundreds of participants reside in the Twin Cities, most of whom are committed to sharing and promoting dancing. Giving up their free time and energy, these people certainly aren't doing this for the glamor or money; everyone who commits to being a volunteer does so selflessly. The reward for their efforts, beyond the thanks of the competition's organizers and patrons, is the knowledge that they've helped involve more people in the appreciation of dance.

Time and time again, we owe thanks to the many volunteers out there. Without promise of payment or a severance of any kind, amazing people come forward to work on the most gargantuan of tasks. The registration for hundreds of competitors, as an example, is nothing short of fifty man-hours.

Seeing the beautiful results of their labors come to fruition is a sight that too many people, including myself, take for granted. The next time you talk with someone volunteering, make sure to thank them for the hard work. When the competition organizers recognize the volunteers with a round of applause, clap even harder, because without these people, there would never be anything to applaud for.

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