As is the case for most people, December was a very busy and eventful month for Dance Amadis Ballroom and its members. On December 13th and 14th, dance coach Babette returned to the studio. For those of you who do not remember, Babette provided professional coaching and one-on-one lessons for our students back in September. She could not have come at a better time, as our students were able to receive coaching right before they headed to the last competition of the year.
We attended The City’s Dancesport Challenge hosted by Igor Litvinov at the TWA Hotel. A black-tie gala was hosted on the 16th. The gala included dinner, social dancing, a live performance by Daniel Tackett, and a Samurai performance by Zen Takai. On the 17th, students from studios all over the states performed in the Dancesport Challenge. As always, professional dancers Dmity and Olena Nikishkin, Valerio Colantoni and Anna Demidova, and Jessa Mae Briones and Francesco Arietta showcased beautiful choreographies throughout the event.
It is clear that the lessons with Babette paid off, because all three competitors from Dance Amadis Ballroom placed in their respective categories. Sandie, one of our first students, placed first in 3 different dance challenges, and second in one. She also received first place in both smooth and rhythm scholarships. Ruzanna secured four first places and two second places, as well as second place in smooth and rhythm scholarships. Lilliana placed first four times, got one second place, and one third place. She also received third place in the rhythm and second in the smooth scholarship. But our dancers didn’t stop there! Lilliana won the Top Bronze Student Award, and Ruzanna was the Top Overall Student. Due to the hard work of our students and instructors, Germine Amadis received the Top Teacher award yet again.
On the 21st, Dance Amadis members ventured to Ponte Vedra to attend the grand opening of our friend’s dance studio, Arthur Murray Ponte Vedra Beach. The event was filled with prize contests, salsa lessons, dance games, and performances. Germine and Ruzanna were asked to perform the East Coast Swing with no prior warning, which they danced beautifully. The dance community would not be what it is today without the support that dancers provide each other. If you live in the Ponte Vedra area, we encourage you to stop by Arthur Murray Ponte Vedra Beach.
On the 26th, we hosted a VIP Christmas Party. This event was open only to those that attend private lessons. Guests got to walk a red carpet to get into the studio, so they had to dress accordingly. Owners Mila and Germine provided the guests with hor d’oeuvres and wine to celebrate the holiday season and an amazing year of dance. The attendees participated in charades, white elephant, and, of course, dancing.
The last event of the year was an open-to-the-public dance social on December 28th. The event had a great turnout and was filled with lots of dancing. Additionally, there were many performances from our owners, instructors, and students, along with a wedding dance. Guests were served champagne, chocolate, and strawberries to usher in the New Year.
Before we go, we would also like to make an announcement that we have added a new group dance class to our schedule. We now teach Caribbean Dance and Rueda de Casino on Mondays at 6pm and 6:45pm respectively. We hope to see you there!
November has been an eventful month for Dance Amadis Ballroom, full of food, friends, and fun. We kicked off he month with an Alice in Wonderland experience in Daytona Beach. Everyone who attended dressed up in costumes from the movie and brought their families along for the fun.
We started early in the morning at the Halifax Harbor Marina. The event was a self-led game that could be accessed through an app. The app provided instructions that led the teams all over Daytona to complete the quest.
At every location, the team had to solve a mystery to receive a clue about the next step. The whole game took us about three hours. By the end of the game, the weather got really bad, so we escaped to a local pizzeria for food and drinks.
On November 23rd, owners Mila and Germine hosted a Thanksgiving potluck dinner at the studio for the students and their families. Mila and Germine brought turkey and wine, and the guests brought delicious, classic Thanksgiving sides. The table was filled with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, and more.
Throughout the night, the dancers and their families participated in games of music chairs and charades. With the holidays still in full swing, stay tuned for more events and updates!
This October, us Floridians had our first cold front of the season, and Dance Amadis Ballroom couldn’t be any more ready to welcome in the fall and its festivities. Despite a busy month of traveling to dance competitions for owners Germine and Mila, they found time to host two seasonal parties and plan events for November.
Dance Amadis Ballroom kicked off this fall season with a traditional Oktoberfest party on October 12th! This event included beer, pretzels, music, and games. Owners Mila and Germine hosted a pretzel eating contest, testing who can eat pretzels from Auntie Annie’s the fastest without any drinks. The winner was one of our first students, Sandy, proving that dancing is not her only skill. In another game, the participants had to dance the cha cha around a circle of chairs while holding a growler of beer with a straight arm. Bend an elbow or spill your beer and you lose. The entire night was full of dancing, friends, and laughter.
On October 24th, the Ballroom hosted a Halloween Party that was open to the public. Doors opened at 7pm and admission was only $10. Everyone showed up in costumes, but everyone agreed that they were all so good that it was impossible to choose the best one. Everyone was having so much fun dancing and socializing at the party that they stayed an hour later than the event was scheduled to last, just to keeping having a good time.
October may be over, but that does not mean that the fun has to stop! As we approach the end of the year and the holiday season, Dance Amadis Ballroom has plenty of exciting events planned for the community! Mark your calendars for our dance social on Wednesday, November 16th. Admission is $5 and doors open at 7pm. The night will be filled with music, dancing, and fun! On November 23rd, join us for our Thanksgiving party. More details are to come, so stay tuned and check our social media for updates.
September has been a very eventful month for Dance Amadis Ballroom and its students. The Ballroom kicked off the month with a secret destination event. On September 3rd, the students arrived at the studio at 1pm for a reception. Here, they enjoyed champagne, grapes, and cheese before carpooling to New Smyrna Beach for the Sangria Social on Flagler Avenue.
Everyone received a Tasting Passport that granted them free samples of red and wine sangria at nine different locations. These included Crabby’s Bar & Grill, Peanut’s Sports Pub & Grub, Flagler Tavern, Manzano’s Beachside Deli, Galleria di Vetro, Clean Karma Jewelry, Clancy’s Cantina, Café Heavenly, and Mermaid Café. Several locations served signature sangrias like the Dragon Fruit Sangria and Apple Pie Sangria. The Dance Amadis Ballroom students spent over three hours tasting samples all over Downtown New Smyrna Beach.
After the Sangria Social, the dancers traveled to Beaches Daytona for a delicious dinner. Beaches is a new location that has a remarkable ambiance and a great dancefloor where the students can show off their moves. Live music was provided by a popular local R&B, funk, and soul band, Then2Now.
Just two days later, on September 5th, Dance Amadis Ballroom owners and students traveled to the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando to attend the United States Dance Championship organized by Wayne Eng. On September 10th, the students watched the Professional 10 Dance and 9 Dance Competition Open to the World. The 10 Dance included the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz,Foxtrot, Quickstep, Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Pasodoble, and Jive. The 9 Dance included the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, and Mambo. Dance Amadis Ballroom students got to watch professional dancers from all over the world compete for first place. Seeing how far it is possible to get with dance is always encouraging to those students who are just starting out. The night ended with a beautiful Professional Cabaret performance. Although the festivities did not end until well after midnight, no one was complaining, and everyone left the event buzzing.
On September 17th, Dance Amadis Ballroom hosted its open-to-the-public Dancing on the Beach event in Flagler Beach. Unfortunately, due to Florida’s everchanging weather, after just one hour of dancing, strong winds and rain started up. However, the dancers were determined to not let bad weather stop to their fun, and many of them moved the party to the Dance Amadis studio. Here, the partygoers danced and ate delicious food for another three and a half hours. Rain or shine, dancers will always find a way to have a good time!Unfortunately, this long hot summer is coming to an end. However, as we look back on the fond memories of the last several months, this farewell does not have to be a sad one. To keep the party going, the owners of Dance Amadis Ballroom are hosting an Oktoberfest party at their studio on October 12th at 6pm. Attendees will enjoy a night of beer, pretzels, games, performances, and dancing. Everyone is encouraged to wear costumes! This party is open to the public; everyone is invited to join Dance Amadis Ballroom in ushering the fall festivities.
This month, the Dance Amadis Ballroom Studio had the privilege of attending the Boca Ballroom Dancesport Competition. The event was hosted by Mark Nocera and Helle Rusholt-Yl at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa from August 18th – 20th. Owner and instructor, Mila Loguntsova, danced with her student, Gregory Clements. Dancing the waltz, tango, and foxtrot at the Bronze level, Gregory secured first place for all three. Together, Mila and Gregory also participated in three dance challenges where they were evaluated as dance partners, winning first place twice and second place once. Clearly, the hours of hard work and practice in the studio paid off!
Owners and instructors Mila Loguntsova and Germine Amadis invited Babette Brown to the studio to teach an upper body styling workshop and host private coaching lessons. The open-to-the-public workshop took place on August 24th, and the coaching lessons were on August 24th and 25th. Babette has been in the ballroom industry for over thirty years, holding titles such as Scottish Professional Latin Champion, Scottish Professional 10 Dance Representative, FADS National Latin Champion, FADS National Smooth Finalist, NDCA and WDC Adjudicator, and Dance Vision Examiner. Based in Los Angeles, California, Babette Brown took time out of her busy schedule to travel to Florida and work with aspiring dancers.
Babette Brown also offered private coaching lessons for students on August 24th and 25th. Here students were provided a one-on-one hour and a half long lesson where they were able to focus on and improve the areas of dance and movement that they were most unsure of. After attending the workshop, private lesson, or both, the students were stunned with how much they had learned about movement and dance in such a short amount of time. Babette’s decades of experience were not lost on the students, who shared their dashing reviews with the studio:
Lilianna Tarannik (dancing for 1.5 years): “After the coaching I felt a lot more confident in myself in terms of my skills and dancing overall. I felt more grounded, too, and from her input I understand dancing in a much different perspective now.” Lilianna expressed how Babette’s coaching showed her how to truly express herself when she dances, without holding back. “…the way she explained gaining confidence and creating a character also made me feel better about myself and I feel like I don’t have to be a certain way, I can just be myself and bring that out to the fullest extent.”
Ruzanna Tarannik (dancing for 1.5 years): “I loved how precise and confident she [Babette] was when she spoke and explained things. She really knows how to make you believe in their capabilities.” Ruzanna explained how she not only learned more about dance, but also about her own body. “I have a much better understanding of my body and how I can make it move to the maximum of its abilities.”
Delia Iris (dancing for 1 year): “I SO enjoyed the workshop last night. It was a great physical and mental challenge, yet Babette presented everything SO well and in such an understandable, relatable way!!” Delia went on to say that it was unlike any other workshop that has ever been brought to the Flagler County area, saying that it had “completely transformed the way I understand and look at bodywork, body control, and expression in dance.”