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"
You know, the hard part about judging a salsa contest is
when every contestant is great.
I was one of the judges at the Annual PB&G Amateur
Salsa Contest last Friday. Don't take the word
"amateur" lightly because EVERY ONE of the
competitors there danced like professionals!
Now
I have had numerous experiences in judging all kinds of
contests:
salsa dancing, ballroom dancing, karate (forms, kata), and
public speaking, just to name a few.
Last Friday was one of the most fun I've ever had judging.
I was judging along with Eugene Kim,
Pantea, Michelle Castro, Peter Ohio, Lashion Banks, Juan
and Audrianna Correa, and Brian Garrison.
We pretty much gave the participants HIGH scores on
presentation, leading/following, timing, etc.
Let me tell you my impression on each finalist.
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Robert and Mika
)........................(
This is the couple that truly knocked my socks off! They
were having fun dancing. They had the stage presence and
the crowd was with them. Mika did the SPLITS.
Oh my god, Robert did the SPLITS as well! The crowd
roared! It was very close. They took 4th place.
Hector and Edna
)........................(
Wow, I have never seen Hector dance like that before.
Whenever I see him in the club dancing, I see his
personality as calm and collected. In this contest I saw
him as a confident, determined salsero. Edna has improved
dramatically on her salsa dancing. They placed 5th.
Carlos and Cece
)........................(
I give my hats to Carlos. A few months ago, he didn't even
know how to dance on 2. I admire his determination. Every
time I see him in the clubs, he is always practicing. Cece
and Carlos looked great. I liked their outfit. Cece was
wearing a tight blue dress, exposing her sexy legs while
Carlos was wearing a classic mambo suit.
They placed 6th.
Junior and Emily
)........................(
Oh my god. These kids were amazing! Yup, you have read it
right, they're kids (I think Emily is 13 and Junior is
16). They gave all the competitors a run for their money.
They have the stage presence. They executed routine well.
Lift and aerials were amazing! Emily ends up sitting on
Junior's shoulder (standing). Now, that is what I call a
finale. I give my hats to Ava Apple for training these two
youngsters. I am gonna give them one or two more years and
they will kick everyone's asses on any salsa contest. They
placed 3rd.
Jose and Maika
).......................(
Man, this was very close. Jose and Maika did some aerial
stuff as well. This is going to be tough nowadays
competing because lifts and aerials are almost required in
every contest if you want to win. Watch for Jose. This guy
is going to be a professional dancer soon and he will be
hard to ignore. They placed 2nd.
Alex and Chi
)...................(
They qualified for the Mayan Semi-Final. Now I know why.
They looked like super heroes. Not only did they do lifts and
aerials, Jeeeesus, Chi did a lot of FLYING! It was obvious in
the audience that they were gonna win. In fact, in my opinion,
Alex and Chi should start competing as professionals at the
Mayan contest. They look much better than any other pros
competing there.
They scored high last Friday taking the CHAMPIONS
title.
Congratulations!!
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