"COLORS OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE" SHOWCASE

The Daza Dance Family came together once again for Colors of the Kaleidoscope, a celebration of diversity and unity transcending race and culture. This theme truly reflected the spirit of our school as we all came together through the common ground of dance to create something beautiful.

Of all the showcases I have participated in this one had a profound significance for me. The first ballroom dance I ever learned was Salsa, so to be able to perform a Salsa routine was in itself a reward. Even the date of the showcase was significant to me. On November 5^th of last year I had a Coaching session with Antonio that redirected the course of my life by encouraging me to be a person with tenacity and courage. I came to class feeling defeated and discouraged as I had just started my campaign for Argentina, and my funding goal seemed impossible. Antonio was determined to lift my spirits so he began to speak to me in a language very close to my heart, through the mysteries of faith. We also talked about my goals outside of dancing and I told him I wanted to be a writer. I had been posting a quote from a famous person every day on my Facebook page, and Antonio encouraged me to create and use my use my own quotes. I immediately went home and my first original quote was “let truth silence every lie of fear”. To date I have posted almost 365 original quotes, and my writing eventually developed into these blog posts. By focusing on writing every day I am conscious that I am writing my story which causes me to focus on creating a phenomenal one.

These thoughts were on my mind as I started rehearsals this week. Practice today was a bit more light hearted as Antonio was trying to convince me not to carry myself like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. (my precious hahaha) So I could feel what I looked like he brought out a huge exercise ball and I had to walk with it between my legs. I could barely move and was giggling uncontrollably and Antonio laughed as well. Considering I would be wearing the shortest dress I had ever worn in showcase it was worth taking this advice to heart so I didn’t wind up giving both he and Maxi a heart attack!

I decided to have just have fun in the next run through and not focus so much on the steps -Antonio told me this was the best I've ever done.   We ran through the routine one last time and Antonio said that my routine was perfect!!!- compliments like that do not flow freely him- so I was stunned. I've gotten good, I'm so proud of you but never perfect and I felt as if I was floating. He then told me how proud I was of me and that it didn’t matter what I did the night of the showcase that it was about the person I have become in the process. I felt completely validated! All of my hard work paid off, and I know now when I am focused and determined I can accomplish anything.

Dress rehearsal the next night went by in a blur. Before we started rehearsal Antonio shared with the collective group about how the showcase performance was not a reflection of the dancers we are – it was all about the journey. As always he spoke about the vision of the school and how we are all a family. We went through the evening and I felt numb as I was focusing so hard on my steps. It was beautiful to see all of the videos, especially the instructors video which set the tone and feeling for the evening.

As usual on the day of the showcase I have one of the first hair and make-up calls so after two cups of strong coffee I am good!  It’s always fun to hang out with the ladies as we become bedazzled with glitter and stones- it is a true bonding moment! About midways through the day I started to feel anxious and intense, so I went to the stairwell close by and pulled out my ear buds to listen to my song. Mario came and sat beside me, encouraging me not to be stressed and telling me to forget about performing and enjoy being with everyone. I was trying to blend in but on the inside my anxiety was getting the best of me. Almost as if on cue Ferdinando, one of the performers gave me an uplifting talk about the power of the mind and told me to imagine the best possible outcome. Hearing those words helped me and I began to imagine myself doing things I had not yet done in Salsa. I thought about Callie, Masha, and one of my Favorite Ballroom Dancers who performed at the competition in Argentina Natalia Madiuik and how each of these ladies are regal, confident and have their own special flair.

As the show began Lynn Ragan and Susan Roberson set the standard by each performing two very different routines. First Lynn captivated our minds with thought provoking video and lively quick step routine to the song Mr. Blue Sky in a coral dress with Mario, Maxi and Antonio. She would later do a meditative, graceful Viennese Waltz in a dazzling blue gown to the song Caribbean Blue with Mario. Susan Roberson did a graceful foxtrot with Maxi in an orange dress to the song under an orange sky and a divine Bolero with Mario to the song White Flag in a pastel blue gown. Susan is always raising the bar by doing challenging lifts and splits.  Jaki Levi gave a moving performance to Betty Brown with Mario, Maxi and Antonio. Her joy for dance shone through her every movement, and she was truly divine in her black dress with green accents. She was the perfect person to communicate this message of the importance of living life beneath the surface and a life of truth.

It was interesting to see how people picked the same dances and colors and still had different choreography to reflect their strengths and interpreted each dance differently. Natalia Terekhova performed a lively, fun cha-cha routine to Michael Jackson’s Black or White in a sexy white fringe dress. Paige Williams also performed a Cha- Cha to the song Men in Black and looked like an otherworldly goddess in a black dress with chartreuse accents. There were also two Rumba’s that used the color gold, Newcomers Maria Lioce and Ferdinando Martino were simply Dazzling opposite Maxi and Masha to the Theme Golden Eye from the James Bond Movie. Maria and Masha were the epitome of Bond Girls, sophisticated in their Golden animal print dresses carrying out their movements with precision and ease. Cara and Alex Suarez also had the color Gold and performed an Ethereal Rumba to fields of Gold with Callie and Maxi. Callie and Cara sparkled in their soft metallic gowns looking angelic and peaceful. By the end of their dance you felt the beauty of love’s perfection. The Student performance group is in a class by themselves as they do their routines without an instructor. They performed a Cha-Cha to the song Bemba Colera. Colet Falvey, Patrick Falvey, Michaela Harris and Byron Starcher moved through beautiful patterns and variations with Colet and Michaela looking stunning in their black dresses. I could see they were mastering steps that took me several weeks to learn!

When it was finally time for me to take the stage for my Salsa routine the powerful confident performance I had visualized became a reality. Even though the song was La Camisa Negra I was wearing fuchsia. While I was in the moment I knew this was the best showcase performance I had ever done,  and even though it wasn’t as technically perfect as I wanted I had embraced the character and was able to apply some notes from the last rehearsal into my performance. I was so proud of myself! With the short time I was given to learn and execute this routine I had gone beyond my highest expectations and even threw in a couple of turns at the end of the routine on the spur of the moment.

Family representation was back with mother and daughter Regina and Corley Davis. Regina did a sultry tango performance to Blue Monday in a dazzling royal blue gown with Mario. You could tell they had established a beautiful connection.  Regina’s daughter Corley danced a captivating Waltz with Maxi in a beautiful red gown. She and Maxi were flawless together, moving as one throughout the dance floor.

We had a new family Eric Petit, Chelsea Petit  and Melissa Gibson did a sexy West Coast Swing with Maxi to the Hard Rock Song Black Betty. They brought their own personal style in costume from the suspenders and the purple bandannas on the ladies to the fedoras on the men and created something mesmerizing. They not only made this dance their own- they looked phenomenal doing it. The most amazing thing to me was that Eric had never danced before this performance but it looked like he had been dancing all his life. I thought this performance showed the tremendous versatility of ballroom dance and can’t wait to see these performers in future showcases.

The Performance of the night by far was Maxi and Masha’s Samba. All I can say is from the time they stepped on the stage I forgot who I was and became lost in the performance. Masha our Queen of Bachata and Samba had this beautiful champagne colored dress with Swarovski crystals and huge turquoise ostrich feathers that gave her a regal quality as she walked. Maxi was truly in his element I call him the King of Samba and he truly lived up to it.  I don’t know how he had the energy after performing so many different routines but I call Maxi the King of Samba and he lived up to it.

At the end of the evening you could feel that everyone in the room had experienced the joy of dance that was in our hearts. I am truly grateful to have once again be a part of this life changing experience, and now that dance has completely saturated my heart I need to find more opportunities to express myself!

By: Kamaria George (11/05/2016)