University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance Program Rocks the Dance World
The USADance National Championships were held in Baltimore, Maryland on March 31-April 2, 2017. While many results were posted in Sheer Dance’s May 2017 issue, it took a compilation of those results to realize how completely the University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance Club (UMNBDC) and its recent graduates dominated the American Style syllabus divisions. In the American Rhythm and Smooth Bronze and Silver Divisions, 11 of the top 12 award placements (first place through third place for each of the four divisions) came from the UMNBDC program. The final rounds of these events were filled out by 18 UMNBDC-trained couples, leaving only seven finalists from all other programs combined. In Gold, both the American Rhythm and Smooth divisions were won with half of the top 6 award placements taken by couples who were UMNBDC-trained. Though non-dominant, UMNBDC-trained couples also made the final in all Standard Syllabus divisions as well as made in-roads in Novice and Championship divisions. Never before has an organization produced such dominating results.
Nels Petersen is Head Coach for the number 3 nationally ranked UMNBDC Competition Team. He also happens to be the most winning amateur ballroom dancer in the history of DanceSport, having 24 Open National Am-Am titles and 24 Open division Pro-Am titles to his credit.
Why the historic results?
The first three advantages the UMNBDC program has are the brilliant contributions of local great professionals Kate Bratt, Elena Bersten, and Michelle Hudson. Their extraordinary efforts create instant social dancers and build a strong foundation for those who try out for a spot on the UMNBDC Competition Team. The fourth advantage is the consistent presence and the team’s access to Theresa Kimler. She is the most-decorated female competitor in the history of USADance. She is show business embodied in a person.
Nels’s strong business management, hockey playing, and coaching background have led to unconventional training methodologies in the turnstyle college market. Students are at the peak of their ability to learn, generally in good physical shape, and need not be treated like most retail dance clients. The students can be pushed pretty hard. They are taught that dance is only a part of competing successfully. Social skills, goal theory, personal and partnership managerial skills, nutrition theory, exoskeletal health, neuro-associative theory, group interactive skills, visual sport theory, public speaking, public service, music theory, and discipline are sold to them wholesale. Accelerated learning methodology is incorporated, including rapid, frequent testing, rapid topic change, and recall/repetition technique. They are taught that winning at dance and winning in life may not always be within your control. You can control a lot of factors that optimize your chance to win: go have at the tools to do that.
The UMNBDC is also fortunate to have the non-profit U Partner Dance, Inc. (UPD) as its majority sponsor and support group. With collegiates being relatively transitory, UPD provides not only funding but continuity and consistency for the collegiate organization. The gracious, giving, big picture and long-term thinking UPD Board consists of University of Minnesota alumni and benefactors of the UMNBDC program. They include Joel Torgeson, Rosemary O’Connell, Taylor Wall, Nels Petersen, and Daniel O’Connell. Their belief in and commitment to the future of dance has now produced historic results.
Kate Bratt
It is often said that you will hear Kate Bratt long before you see her. Kate’s fun-loving personality, animated gestures, attention to detail, and copious supply of knowledge make her the ideal instructor for both new and experienced dancers. Kate has been teaching ballroom dance for fifteen years, after having gotten “too old” for elite gymnastics. During her matriculation at the University of Minnesota studying the über-useful history of art, she heard some salsa music on the radio and ran to the nearest dance studio. For several years, she competed as a student in pro/am competitions and in strictly amateur events as well, placing at the top of the nation in smooth, rhythm, and standard. After winning the scholarship division at the prestigious Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, she turned pro and danced the American rhythm style for six years, making finals at most competitions around the nation. When she met Gordon and decided to partner (and get married), they committed to dancing both American rhythm and smooth in the well-rounded American nine-dance division. Kate and Gordon, along with three lovely daughters, travel the country dancing while running the new Mill City Ballroom in St. Paul, MN. Kate also composes content for the blog “Riot and Frolic” to keep sleeping hours to a minimum.
Elena Bersten
At the age of 10, Elena Bersten learned rhythmic gymnastics and became Russian gymnastics champion in 1995. At the age of 12 Elena started learning ballroom/Latin dance. In the summer of 1998 Elena and her mother (former champion of Russia) opened dance studio “21 century”. Elena at age 16, went to school for choreography. In her dancing career Elena won numerous awards for her dancing abilities and won many prestige Russian championships and titles. At the age of 18 Elena won the Russian formation team competition.
In 2000-2005 Elena attended the university Culture of Arts in Orel, Russia, and received a special certificate as a Ballroom instructor. Elena also attended the Russian university for choreography. Natalia Nesterova (Moscow). In 2003-2006 Elena was invited as a dancer for European renowned “Moscow’s Starlight Dancers”. Elena toured in Finland, Sweden, Monte Carlo and Cyprus.
Elena also performed with many celebrities including Lou Bega, Patricia Kass, Boney M, Touch and Go, and many other great performers. Elena performed is some of the most prestigious stages in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In 2006- Elena created her own dance show “21 century dance.” And in 2008-2010 Elena was invited to perform with Burn the Floor as the main couple.
Elena is the co/owner of Dance Sport competition “Trophy Mayor” Elena is a recognized official judge of Russian Federation DanceSport, and USTA/NDCA certified as a highly qualified “Member” adjudicator in American Rhythm and Smooth, and International Ballroom and Latin. Elena trained many of the junior and youth champions of Russia in her Ballroom/Latin club “21 vek” in Orel, Russia.
Now Elena, currently dancing with her husband Gene, is the Co/Owner and Director of “Dance With Us America,” which is considered to be one of the best Ballroom and Latin dance studios in the Midwest. She is also the choreographer of “Dance With Love,” creating dance shows here in Minnesota and all over America, such as the show, “Behind The Mask”. Elena grows in her dancing everyday by continuing her education, performing, and adding to the dance community with her wonderful performances, dancing, teaching and passion
Michelle Hudson
Michelle Hudson is co-owner, Dance Director and Principal instructor of Cinema Ballroom, one of the largest independently run studios in the United States. In addition to teaching out of Cinema Ballroom, she travels all over the country to coach, compete Pro/Am with her students and to judge as a registered Championship Level Adjudicator with the NDCA. With her husband Eric Hudson she is a United States professional Rising Star American Smooth Champion as well as an Open Professional United States and World American Smooth finalist.