Ballroom dancers from throughout the region will gather in Brigham Young University's Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12-13 for the semiannual DanceSport Championship showcasing the current United States Professional Latin American Champions.
Tickets for one night are $16 for a reserved table seat, $12 for a reserved chair seat and $10 for general admission. For two nights, tickets are $30 for a reserved table seat, $22 for a reserved chair seat and $18 for general admission.
Tickets are available through the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 378-4322 or at performances.byu.edu. Tickets are also available at the door.
Two sessions will be held Friday starting at 11 a.m. and three sessions are scheduled for Saturday starting at 9 a.m. For a complete schedule visit the Web site www.byudancesport.com.
The professional Latin ballroom champions, Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova, will perform both Friday and Saturday evening. They have been performing together since 2002.
The evening events are typically higher level competitions featuring some the best ballroom dancers in the competition, said Elaine Grenko, ballroom dance faculty member.
Participants in the DanceSport competition come mainly from Utah and Idaho and range in age from preteens to college-age students.
Many of those participating in the competition have competed internationally.
All of the ballroom classes from BYU will compete in the championship.
"In the beginning, the BYU DanceSport Competition was organized to give the students a competitive experience by showcasing the skills that they were learning in class," said Linda Wakefield, director of the BYU International ballroom program. "By using competition, the students were able to set goals and strive for new heights in their dancing, which they would not normally reach. Through the competitive experience, they will raise their talents to a new level."
"Competition was the original purpose that this ball was started back in the late 70's by Emerson and LeGene Lyman and it has continued ever since," Grenko said. "It gives the students an opportunity to dress up and dance competitively. This atmosphere provides an opportunity for students to see talent from around the world. That tradition will be carried on as the BYU DanceSport brings in Gavriline and Kryuchkova. They will provide a fantastic showcase both Friday and Saturday evening."
For more information contact Elaine Grenko at (801) 422-4623.
Writer: Rebekah Hanson
