Competition at the Florida Sunshine Dance and Symposium

It all started with a chat:

Hi Dori.  In case you’re interested, I’m looking for a dance partner to compete at the Florida Sunshine Challenge.  It’d be awesome to catch up and compete together.  It’s super affordable, sounds like quite a bit of fun, and it’d be great to see you again.  I’d be glad to send you some videos of routines and get there a bit early to do some quick practice.

Three months later, we’re practicing the day before the competition in Tallahassee, and Dori is learning all nine routines!

Dori Wuepper, her husband Bob Wuepper, and I did quite a bit of social dancing at our local dance studio when we both lived in Seattle, Washington.  In 2018, I moved to Austin, Texas, leaving behind many dance friends.  In 2021, Bob sadly passed away, and Dori and I tried to make some plans to get together, but it just didn’t work out.

At the 2022 USA Dance Nationals dance social, I met the Tallahassee Chapter Treasurer and Membership Director Rebecca Kelley and National Social Dance Vice President and Tallahassee Chapter President Lolita Brawner.  We chatted afterward about the Florida Sunshine Dance and Symposium they were organizing, August 18-19, in Tallahassee, Florida.  It sounded too good to be true – catered meals, a live band, lots of social dancing, and a competition all in the same weekend and very affordable.  Rebecca even turned me onto the idea of competing with someone “you’d meet at the competition.”  This is where I got the idea to ask Dori.

To my delight, Dori agreed to take on this competition adventure.  I sent her videos of nine routines, she studied them and made sure she knew all the patterns.  The organizers of the competition were super accommodating and helped arrange a practice space for us the entire day before the event.  We flew in on Thursday night, practiced all day on Friday, and were ready to go Saturday morning!

This really helped Dori and me grow as dancers.  For me, it was a good test of my “leading” skills, as Dori isn’t my regular dance partner who knows the routines inside and out.  For Dori, it was like learning choreography through a firehose.  We both were patient, supportive, and driven.  In the end, we competed in 15 heats from Bronze Rhythm to Silver and Gold Smooth.  We ended the competition feeling very accomplished.

After the competition, we let loose at the evening social dance with a fantastic dinner and live music from the Tallahassee Swing Band.  The band played a wide variety of very danceable music, not just swing.  I got to dance with Lee Oswalt, Rebecca, Lolita, and many of the volunteers and other competitors.  These were some amazing dances – I love social dancing with skilled competitors, as well as partnering with novices who are just learning the joy of ballroom dance.

I challenge more dancers to take an adventure and try out your routines at the Florida Sunshine Challenge next year with your regular dance partner or someone new.  You may also get to social dance with that favorite competitor you’ve been admiring from afar.  

The weekend was good for my soul, great for my dance, and helped me reconnect with an old friend.  The Tallahassee, Florida #6010 USA Dance chapter pulled off quite an ambitious event, and I’m already looking forward to next year.