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Sunny in December!

By Herb McGurk
Contributing Author
Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge set for December 6-8. Registration is open!

Did you know that December is the coldest month in Los Angeles?  The average is 68°F.  Let’s compare this with some other large cities in the United States during December.  

  • Atlanta, Georgia  56°F – Not bad
  • Baltimore, Maryland  48°F – Colder
  • Chicago, Illinois  38°F – Colder still
  • Denver, Colorado 46°F – Cold and snow
  • Jacksonville, Florida 68°F – Okay, it’s Florida
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota 29°F – Oh My Goodness!
  • New York, New York 44°F
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 46°F
  • Salt Lake City, Utah 39°F
  • St. Louis, Missouri 45°F
  • Washington, DC 49°F

You get the idea.  Sure, Tampa is 74°F, and Honolulu is 82°F.  But those cities don’t have what Los Angeles has — Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge!  December is going to be HOT HOT HOT!!!

Photo by Carson Zullinger.

From Organizers Irina Trebunskaya, Oksana Kalinuka, and Herb McGurk:

Registration for the Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge is now open. Our event runs December 6-8 at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles, minutes away from the LAX Airport. This DanceSport Event is sponsored by Dance It Up, Ltd and USA Dance Los Angeles County Chapter #4031, both non-profit organizations.

The Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge inauguration was in 2017 at the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, CA. In 2023, Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge hosted the Western Regional DanceSport Championship at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles.

Friday, December 6:
Matinee Session opens at 2:00 p.m. with Pro/Am, Am/Am, Mixed/Am, and Collegiate events, including Argentine Tango and Club Dancing.

Evening Session runs from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with a Cocktail Reception, General Dancing, Dinner, Professional Show, Awards, and Sponsor Recognition.

Saturday, December 7:
Matinee Session runs from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with Rhythm, Smooth, Standard, and Latin single and multi-dances for Amateur Youth, Under 21, Adult, Senior I-V, Pro/Am, Am/Am, Teacher-Student, and Collegiate events.  Awards will be presented for Syllabus, Novice, and Pre-Champ.

Evening Session runs from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. with Rhythm, Smooth, Standard, and Latin Amateur Youth, Under 21, Adult, Senior I-V events. Awards will be presented for Pro/Am, Am/Am, Mixed-Am, and Collegiate. The evening will include Championship Events, a Team Match, Formation Teams, an Invitational Professional Show Dance Competition, Awards, and Sponsorship Recognition.

Sunday, December, December 8:
Matinee Session runs from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with Rhythm, Smooth, Standard single and multi-dance events for Latin Teddy Bears, Pre-Teen 1-2, Junior 1-2 with Pro/Am Am/Am, Teacher-Student, Mixed/Am, Solo Star, and Ballroom Formation events. Awards will be presented for Syllabus, Novice, Pre-Champ, and Championship events.

WDO World Championships – Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge is once again hosting WDO World Championship events on Sunday, December 8. This year’s events include:

  • Under-10 Latin Solo Championships
  • Under-10 Ballroom Championships
  • Under-10 Latin Championships

For more information: hbdschallenge@gmail.com.

We invite everyone to our memorable event this December in Los Angeles where the sun shines upon you while dancing is in the air!

 

GET QUALIFIED!

Hot Ballroom DanceSport Challenge is a USA Dance National qualifying event.  The USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships will be held March 28-30, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A new Point System and Qualifying Rules have been recently introduced.  Make sure you read and understand them.   

Check out the complete USA Dance 2024-2025 Competition Calendar in American Dancer and make sure you are qualified. 

Are you reading American Dancer?  You should!

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