Just a quick break from my judging to say how awesome everyone is dancing at the Florida State Championships. Congratulations to everyone. Especially my lovely dancing daughter. She does such a great job with her dad Wilson Barrera.

Hi Everyone. My tango party page has been updated with the new information. I did change my party time to start with the free lesson at 7pm instead of the earlier 6pm. This will give the experienced tango dancers who are dancing earlier in Nokomis a chance to keep dancing at my party after theirs. Like I said, fun and excitement for everyone. The beginners have their lesson, a brief spell to party and practice before the advanced dancers arrive. Then we all get together for a wonderful balance of all levels and styles of dance. Awesome. At my last party everyone was extremely helpful with creating a truly harmonious and comfortable atmosphere for the new to dance dancers. There was no “one dance snobbery”.  All the advanced dancers there were advanced dancers in multiple dances and encouraged and helped the newbies a lot.  A really special thank you to them.

I have the pleasure of being invited to adjudicate at  many competitons throughout the year. Dancing in any form is almost always pleasurable to watch, so this is a perfect job for me. This week I will be judging the Florida State Dancesport Championships at the stunning Ritz Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, Florida. My schedule is determined by the Chairman of Judges. I will check into the hotel tomorrow afternoon, get my schedule for at least a couple of days. I do hope I am not on the 7am panel Wednesday morning. Getting up early in the morning is not my forte. After coffee, however, I will be ready to roll. Each day tends to grow in excitement. By week’s end on Saturday evening everyone is exhausted and riding high on adrenaline and lack of sleep. I do love this business. Even after judging from 7am to midnight there is still a bit more energy to unwind by going dancing. I can hardly wait.

I have  encountered “one dance snobbery” so many times in the past. Whether the dance was salsa, hustle, west coast swing, or argentine tango did not seem to matter. In general, when a new person arrives at the dance party, they would always be not danced with until they could prove that they could actually do that dance. Of course, unless  you went with someone that would dance with you, this was difficult to do. I have always found this to be unkind and not very gracious. Why do dancers do this? Some of these “one dance snobs” are’nt even very good. Well, they are - in their own minds. It is my observation that this snobbery occurs for several reasons.

1.  They actually believe that they are too good to dance with just anyone and will save that honor for only the best dancers.This sentiment is not always shared by the best dancers.

2. They know they are not very good and are afraid that the newcomer might be too good for them. The newcomer good or bad is usually happy to dance with anyone, rather than sit and watch.

3. They only know so many patterns/leads and are afraid to be stuck dancing a really long hustle, west coast, salsa or the three dances of an Argentine tango tanda. The only answer Ihave for this one is to play shorter dances and definitely not have to dance three dances in a row with the same partners (tango tanda requires this).

When one does arrive at a dance with a popular partner, the entire world is open to them. This is a great feeling. One that would be wonderful for all to experience as  I just did at a west coast swing dance called Floor Play. Awesome.

I leave for the Orlando Dance Classic today. There should be a lot of wonderful dancing. I do enjoy judging dance competitions. It is always a pleasure to watch dancing. Of course, I would rather be on the floor myself.  All sorts of people enter these competitions.  As young as eight years old to pretty old. Last week I judged a young lady that was turning 100 years old this week. You are never too young or too old to enjoy dancing.

So many people say the cannot take dance lessons because they have “two left feet”.  I always answer with my motto. “Two left feet? I have your right”. If you don’t know how to dance, it is a good idea to learn. It can be a great way to get fit, stay fit, meet people, enjoy life.

Wilson’s Dancesport had a terrific Guest Party and Showcase last night. Beautiful dancing. Congratulations everyone.

What an awesome party. Thanks to everyone that attended. DJ Chris Kanozsay was amazing. Will post pictures soon. Next party August 16 at 7-10pm.

Margaret is no stranger to the dance scene. Some of her accomplishments include World Exhibition Champion, United States Ten-Dance Champion. She also holds three different British Open titles. Previously she ran her own dance competition in Miami and Sarasota and was the co-founder of Ballroom Dancesport Theatre, Purple Tiger Dance Studios and Wilson’s Dancesport Dance Studios. Today, she is a highly acclaimed coach, choreographer and a world class adjudicator in all styles of ballroom dancing. 

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