Today we visited the Ballroom World Championships held in Sant Cugat. Being a world championship we expected an extravagant setting, with unforgettable dancing, creative lighting, and internationally renowned dancers. Expecting a grand stage with a large crowd being a World Championship we walked into the grand stage of a.... indoor basketball court.
The day did encompass some respectable and well trained dancers. It did also encompass some over exaggerated, acted, uncoordinated dancing. Being a World Championship Katrina and I were expecting the best of the best. Some of the choreography to the styles were excellent. It was the first time I've ever watched a ballroom competition and to have so many contestants on the stage at the same time doing their thing, a dance between two people begins to lose its effectiveness. It was then that I understood as to why contestants like to stand out from each other with their clothing and some over the top makeup.
Watching the style closely you begin to see how ballroom dancers can become quite good jazz dancers in good time as both styles have strong, sharp movements, hard hitting moves, and strong eye contact. Both styles also require we coordinated foot work.
Watching the performances I began to miss Salsa dancing and I think watching the competition was a good motivator for me to get back into it.
One thing that I did notice though is that there's only so many 4 step basic turns you can watch in the Waltz until it begins to become boring. Dancing it is one things. When dancing the waltz with a partner that you admire you can dance the waltz for hours on end. But watching it is another story. The excitement of the day came from the young professionals who lit up the floor with some highly energetic and great pieces. I'm looking forward to watching more dance performances throughout Europe. Hopefully even attend a dance class or two.
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