Quest in the Pacific Northwest

By Michael Kasinkas and Taylor Wall

Last February we wrote about our adventure in Portland, Oregon, as we participated in the Portland Dance Classic National Qualifying Event (NQE), and visited the surrounding area. Unfortunately, the Portland Dance Classic, an NQE was canceled this year, and in November we were looking for a competition to attend in late January. Having enjoyed the Pacific Northwest last year, we were disheartened to be unable to return. Then we stumbled upon another competition, Quest for the Best, in Seattle, WA.

Quest for the Best, while not an NQE, was a great smaller competition. Held on one day, youth events competed in the daytime, and adult events in the evening. Quest for the Best was hosted in the Kent Commons Community Center, featuring a large basketball court venue for the ballroom, which meant a nicely sized floor, and many seats. Since the Midwest was the furthest location from where anyone had traveled, we were given strange looks with comments ranging from, 'Oh, it must be super cold there,' to, 'Why are you here?'. If you're ever in a new place, and you say you're from Minnesota, the first topic always seems to be weather. However, after we explained we were really excited to try a new event, in addition to visiting the Pacific Northwest, we were welcomed with open arms. The event was amazing. We were able to see many young high level dancers getting prepared for their NDCA Nationals, especially in the Latin and Standard events, and formation teams. We ended up dancing well ourselves, placing first in Gold Standard, fourth in Novice Standard, first in Pre-Championship Smooth and Pre-Championship Rhythm, and first in Championship Smooth and Championship Rhythm. We also were able to experience something new, and exciting this competition, the opportunity to dance Gold Standard, Pre-Championship Smooth, Novice Standard, and Championship Smooth in back to back events while the competition was held for our costume changes. It was a challenging, fun, and rewarding experience!

As we have written before, you should always take advantage of your surroundings when you're at a competition. The last thing you want to do is fly in, dance for a day, and fly out, without seeing the outside of the ballroom or airport, especially in a spectacular place like Seattle. Even if you're only there for a weekend, at least planning something to do can be an enjoyable break from dancing, a weird thought for some of us. Take a break from dancing? What would I do then? Just Google "One hundred free things to do in 'city you're visiting,'" and you may find some hidden gems!

Being excited to see more of the Pacific Northwest, we decided this year to stay for six days. We flew in on Friday, danced on Saturday, and then spent until Wednesday exploring the city. On Sunday we started with a city bus tour. Although it may seem to you like of a waste of time and money, we find it's a great place to start. If you find a good one, you get to see unique parts of the city from someone who actually lives there, which helps you find more things to do! Since Seattle is a great place to be outdoors, some of our adventures included seeing the locks and dams, walking through the Olympic Sculpture Park, visiting Pike Place Market (where they throw the fresh fish!), hiking at Snoqualmie Falls, and exploring the first completely underground hydroelectric dam in the world. We enjoyed Volunteer Park, home to some of the world's largest trees of their species, along with a very nice conservatory, and historic water tower. And of course, we visited the Woodland Park Zoo, because what trip would be complete without penguins? Especially if you can feed them for $5! Let's just say we left with a lighter wallet, and the the penguins were left with a buoyancy problem.

When planning your next competition, we encourage you to plan some fun side trips for lasting memories. Overall, Quest for the Best was a great new event, and we hope to go back next year. We would love to attend another National Qualifier in the region, but we will definitely return for the sights (or to be honest, to feed the penguins).