Dance was the first topic to launch this longevity column. Its benefits to health and well-being in the older individual are documented. Subjective reports given at any age may approach the profound. Yet cultures embracing social dance activity often see their elders happily stepping through the paces well into their eighties. For most everyone this mind/body connection, the physical movements, the rhythm, music and social aspects of dance generate increased well-being and fitness. When people begin such an orientation at a young age, and maintain it the best they can, there is nothing to lose.
Welcome Oregonians Erinn Lowrie (17 next month) and William Mao (17), otherwise known as winning Couple #398.
Lowrie and Mao competed at the 31st annual National DanceSport Championship held in Baltimore, Maryland, April 8-10, 2011 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Mao, with a smile, found the atmosphere “depressing and encouraging” (a reference to the talents of the other dancers). Lowrie found the experience fairly inspirational, saying “Yeah, it encouraged me to dance more.”
Also from Oregon and competing at Nationals is winning Couple #303, Samantha Sun (14) of Tigard and Scott Nicholson (14), West Linn. Sun and Nicholson also expressed enthusiasm for the impressive skill level of dancers at the Baltimore event.
According to USA Dance “more than 1,100 amateur DanceSport athletes have qualified” for this year’s event. To qualify represents an arduous process involving countless competitions allowing couples to advance step by step to the Nationals. We won’t even mention (much) the dedication and focus represented by the hundreds of practice and training hours.
Now it’s true that ballroom- and Latin-dancing Oregonians have competed successfully at Nationals before. And for sure this year’s competition witnessed Li Z. Sun and Douglas Daniels win Senior II (age 45+) Bronze in Latin. Yet, what makes this year’s competition particularly outstanding are these youth—Erinn Lowrie and William Mao, and Samantha Sun and Scott Nicholson—who put Oregon solidly on the Nationals winning map for youth, for the first time ever.
Couple #398: Erinn Lowrie and William Mao brought home medals for firsts in Amateur Youth AND Amateur Adult Gold Standard (dancing Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Quickstep), plus winning first in Amateur Adult Gold Latin (dancing Samba, Cha Cha, Rumba, and Jive).
Couple #303: Samantha Sun and Scott Nicholson competed at Amateur Junior II and Youth levels, beating out all others in Bronze Standard (Waltz and Quickstep), Bronze Latin (Cha Cha and Rumba), Silver Standard (Waltz, Foxtrot and Quickstep) and winning first in Amateur Youth Bronze Latin (Cha Cha, Rumba).
If it takes a village to raise a child, these young dance athletes manifest success from many fronts. Obviously gifted by caring, wise, loving, supportive, respectful and able parenting figures, they have their main guiding coach or “Dance Mama” in Anya Klimova-Preston, one of Oregon’s favorite dance teacher/coaches and a respected international dance adjudicator.
Dance training and practice involves all four winners working with Klimova-Preston for nine sessions. To allow greater diversity and additional insight, every tenth dance session is spent with other outstanding dance coaches: Sun and Nicholson work with DanceSport professional Mark Tabor of the Ballroom Dance Company; Mao and Lowrie expand their range with adjudicator and championship-certified Beth Knoll of Ballroom Parkrose.
And not to worry that these young adult bodies are being over-trained to a single physical ideal. Their “Dance Mama” ensures physical diversity with additional dance camp activities including swimming and yoga. Though focus on excelling with ballroom and Latin competition doesn’t leave a lot of time for other sport pursuits, Scott Nicholson is able to maintain his love and involvement with track. Samantha Sun is not unfamiliar with advanced figure skating, swimming and Tae Kwon Do.
Says Klimova-Preston about working with her dedicated students:
“I introduce them to the whole lifestyle of body training while offering diverse music, multicultural exposure, perhaps introducing the joy of travel, and building inter-gender ethics and social skills. We also have a special class for developing balance, strength and flexibility using ballet, jazz and yoga techniques. In this century of computer games, I support any physical activity!”
One other competing couple studying with Anya Klimova-Preston warrants mention: Karen Rash-Gitner (57), C.N.M., and her husband Gary Gitner (58) have been dancing with Klimova-Preston for about four years. This couple has been competing at the senior (35 to 70+) level in Standard ballroom dance and Latin dancing in Bronze and Silver for about a year and a half. Rash-Gitner says, “We’re doing it because we want to live to be a hundred.” They also look like they’re having a grand time.
See them all dancing: Their next competition is the Columbia Star Ball on May 7 and 8, 2011. Event will be held at the Red Lion Inn, Jantzen Beach, 909 N. Hayden Island Drive, Portland, 97217. Anya Klimova-Preston, whose academic background includes science, language, dance and philosophy, will also be giving a seminar: “Conduct your Orchestra: Isolation in Latin Dancing.” Tentatively scheduled for Saturday May 7 at 2:00 p.m. Topic addresses the harmony of an orchestra as metaphor to a dancer’s movements—all parts playing together in harmony. The Columbia Star Ball competition dance floor is 72’ X 40’ for those of you taking note. See web site for ticket information.
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