Thanking the Coaches

By Seth Westlake

In three short years, the University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance Club Competition Team has gone from having a handful of finalists (still quite an accomplishment) to amassing more than 300 callbacks and 10 first place finishes across all styles at the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The sudden improvement, although unexpected, feels well earned and was long sought after. The transformation of the team has been the result of many invaluable resources, but none so important as the brilliant instructors that the club provides. Elena Bersten and Kate Bratt, hailing from Dance With Us America and Mill City Ballroom, respectively, have been–-without a doubt–-indispensable to the success of the UMN team and also the popularity of the UMN Ballroom Dance Club. Here's a little bit about these instructors and why we're so thankful to have them with us:

Kate Bratt has been an instructor for the UMN Ballroom Dance Club for 4 years, and she hasn't skipped a beat since she first walked in the door. Her lessons are a brilliant balance of energy and technique, providing an unparalleled sense of fun, but also a quality instruction that covers an entirely new depth of understanding. It seems that just about every day we hear–-from both the Club and Competition team–-compliments about the fantastic nature of Kate's lessons. "I always feel welcome," several students have said. "I just can't understand where she gets all that energy. She's aglow with smiles every time," mentioned one person. Another attendee, discussing what they thought of Kate's teaching, said, "she always finds a way to describe the dance in a way that I can understand. She makes it click every time."
So we, the students of both the UMN Ballroom Dance Club and Competition Team, want to give a big "Thank you, Kate!" for all of the excellent instruction she provides and how well she encourages everyone. The hard work you do is appreciated beyond measure and it's a pleasure to learn from you.

Nearing the end of our second year with Elena Bersten, we can say, quite confidently, that it's been an amazing ride. Working with the best Latin instructor in Minnesota is no small thing, especially for students trying ballroom for the first time. Bringing the technical expertise and concentration from many, many years of competition, Elena truly knows how to push her students to their peak performance in incredibly small amounts of time. As each lesson draws to a close, the looks on the students' faces change, quite drastically, from an appearance of happiness and intense focus to jaw dropping disbelief. "The time during Elena's lessons passes too fast," several students have told me on different occasions. "It's easy to get caught up in thinking about all the things she's showing us," another student reminisced. "It's hard to compare with how in depth Elena goes with the technique. I just love it." Everyone loves the professionalism and focus that she brings to the table. Not to imply she isn't happy and excited as she teaches. Scarcely will you find her without a smile. However, you should expect to be included in one of her social media movie experiments.
We also give an enormous "Thank you, Elena!", and we hope to keep seeing you as the years progress. The success of the Club and Competition Team owe no small amount of appreciation to your hard work. It's been a pleasure having you as an instructor, and we look forward to every chance we have to work with you again.