Favorite pro-am dancesport competitors?

[elisedance]

well, how about you.  If you won the world championship at OSB next fall would you object if we mentioned it (congratulated you) here?  Would it bother you if I listed you as one of my favorite pro/am competitors?

Why thank you, Elise.  it was a tough competition beating all you more experience Standard dancers, but was it ever a wonderful experience.  Looking forward to our next competition together!

If not  can you come up with a situation where one might object?

Well, same sex in regular dance comps?  I don't thnk so - besides, one of us would have to be the pro ... and I don't think either of us are ready!

Still, the thought is sweet

[ttd]

I wouldn't care if someone mentioned my name honestly. good or bad. LOL

only reason why I could see am/am is more thinking along the lines of the kids. but even then .... that is stretching it. LOL

I have no objections whats so ever. LOL

Yeah well, since I have sort of separate social networks (I counted 5, and there is very little overlap in them) and not all of them are aware that I dance, or understand what ballroom dancing is about, I'd appreciate it if my last name was not mentioned in the posts.

[emeralddancer]

I wouldn't care if someone mentioned my name honestly. good or bad. LOL

only reason why I could see am/am is more thinking along the lines of the kids. but even then .... that is stretching it. LOL

I have no objections whats so ever. LOL

Yeah well, since I have sort of separate social networks (I counted 5, and there is very little overlap in them) and not all of them are aware that I dance, or understand what ballroom dancing is about, I'd appreciate it if my last name was not mentioned in the posts.

lol....i respect that. everyone is different and discussing is a good thing. that is how we learn and grow!

me personally EVERYTHING pretty much overlaps. my life is almost entirely an open book. hahaa ............to open ....maybe i should write a memior. 

[elisedance]

I wouldn't care if someone mentioned my name honestly. good or bad. LOL

only reason why I could see am/am is more thinking along the lines of the kids. but even then .... that is stretching it. LOL

I have no objections whats so ever. LOL

Yeah well, since I have sort of separate social networks (I counted 5, and there is very little overlap in them) and not all of them are aware that I dance, or understand what ballroom dancing is about, I'd appreciate it if my last name was not mentioned in the posts.

Absolutely.  Though if they are separate networks its probably unlikely that they would see them anyway. 
OTOH we don't actually know who you are so it would be hard to edit!!

[Blue Tango]

This thread seems to have slowed to a trickle but I thought I'd add my two cents anyway.

Have you ever done an 'ego search'?  You know, type in your own name into something like Google.  I have, and I didn't get many hits, but a few of my meager hits were comps I had entered where they had posted my results online.  And that is becoming more the norm with competitions nowadays.  Very difficult to be anonymous nowadays...

[dancingfool]

Although the higher level Pro-Am couples are a pleasure to watch I wouldn't necessarily pick a particular couple from among them.

I must confess that I am far more captured by qualities than may seem less obvious to others.

For example, I am a huge fan of Milena K. (Toronto, ON). Love her and the way she dances in Pro-Am with her students. I believe that she competes Pro-Am in all 4 styles.

She never outshines them and always looks so proud to be out on the competitive floor with them.  

And, I am sure that we have all been at comps where there is that one Pro-Am couple that just captures the audience's heart.

Rarely are they the best couple and not quite there with dance technique, but they still possess and showcase a special kind of magic that draws in the spectators who can't help falling in love with them.  

[elisedance]

what a great post HFG - and you are absolutely right, the best pros are the ones that dance to the level of their partner.  Thats the art of pro am really.

[dancingfool]

 I currently compete in Pro-Am myself and am very fortunate to have exactly this type of professional as my partner. 

[elisedance]

what level are you at - (sorry if I missed that in the newcomers board - I try to read it all but the forum has become too successful!!)

[dancingfool]

That is because I didn't make any posts in there yet.

But to answer your question, I compete in the American style, in both Smooth and Rhythm, Silver - which doesn't necessarily mean that I am a "silver" level dancer in terms of skills and technique (believe me, I understand the difference), but I am too advanced for bronze.

And, my pro doesn't let his students hang around in bronze for years and years and years and years.   

Once we have placed 1st or reasonably well in 3 dance championships a few times in a row he generally moves bronze students up to intermediate silver. 
 

[elisedance]

hey, if you won intermediate silver then you are silver!  Indeed, you define what silver is.  And I'm with your pro- keeping people in bronze all their lives is silly - I knew a pro-amer who was still in bronze 9 year after she started - and it wasn't that she was poor, indeed far from it she won every competition.  I got to 2nd and then promoted and when I was in schollarship she was still in bronze.

The funny thing was that 2 years later she was also in schollarship - and again beat me - twice in a row   She had just locked into one place and had not advanced according to her skills (she is a lovely dancer by the way).

I'd like to compete against her again now though

[dream a little dream]

Some people seem to like sitting at a level at which they are assured of winning.
I contemplated entering a scholarship last year, but opted not to as one of the dances was foxtrot and I hadn't even started it yet.  Then, I saw the other dancers in the bronze scholarship....and they were not really bronze dancers.  In fact, several had been dancing many years.  it seems as though they enjoy being very very good at bronze.
Personally, once I start doing well consistently at bronze, providing my technique is good, I'd like to advance to silver. 

[dancingfool]

so, what's your opinion of Pro-Ams who compete in both open bronze and open silver 3 dance championships?

I see this way too much at comps and it is an outrage to my pro (and me too) - he never EVER does this with his students.

I guess that I should add that they are not bronzers competing in silver for the challenge, but the reverse - clearly silver level dancing "down" as we like to say ...

[dream a little dream]

Nope, wouldn't like that at all. 
If you are bronze, you are bronze.  You are learning the technique and steps of a bronze dancer.  I can see competing in open bronze and pre-silver one dance events, as a challenge to yourself. 
But to compete in a 3 dance championship?  I would only do that if I were confident in my abilities as a silver dancer, which means you are dancing down to compete in the 3 dance in bronze.  I really can't see the point of dancing down, unless are only in the competition to win more stuff. 
To me, the point of competition is to measure yourself on the measuring stick of what the judges are looking at as "a bronze dancer".  The stuff is nice, but who needs a blue million first place medals or whatever else is being given out?
Now, at higher levels, I can't speak to.  But the levels I'm used to seeing, I'm right with you and your pro.

[elisedance]

On the whole I agree - but it may not seem that way to the competitors.  Obviously if several are doing it at a competition then not all of them could have been assured of winning the silver!  the ones that did not might argue that they are 'dancing up'.  After all, its subjective and it may depend on which scale they are using.  For example if its from the local standard they may well be accused of scalping but if their norm is, say, OSB then the bronze level really IS equivalent to silver (and sometimes gold) at many other competitions.

I think the best thing to do is ask - 'you are doing so well at silver why are you still competing in bronze?'