The United States Latin Championships

By Armando Martin

The 38th United States Dance Championships went off again like a gem under the direction of Wayne Eng, with the expert help of the best Chairman of Judges in the business, Mr. Brian Puttock, who made sure that the schedule was followed and that all the competitions took place as they were supposed to.

All in all, it was a great weekend. The absence of multitudes of Europeans was once again quite obvious this year, but to tell you the truth those people that I spoke to prefer it this way. Although it is important that the USDC continues to be the most influential competition in the United States, it is also important to remember that it is the United States Dance Championships and as such it should focus and honor the very best that the United States has to offer. I think we did that this year.

When Didio asked me to do the write-up for the US Closed Latin Championship, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. After all, I was one of the judges on that panel and it is difficult enough to judge without thinking about having to write about it. But knowing Didio as long as I know him, it is difficult for me to say no to him…I like him a lot.

To me, the US International Latin has been a continuously moving target for the last few years - couples coming in and out, changing all the time. For someone who only judges about 6 to 8 times per year, by choice, due to my many other responsibilities, this can be a daunting task. Since I am not aware of what the form is in that style, this was even more exciting to Didio and Keith who wanted me to write my comments on my marks regardless of previous results or form.

I must say that the talent in the competition from the semifinal on was outstanding as was the final. What I liked about the final was the difference in styles that were represented on the floor, and I will go through that as I write about the individual couples and their final positions in the final.

In first place and the 2008 US Latin Champions were Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko. This couple was in a class of their own on the floor; if there is a mold for creating male and female Latin dancers, these two are it. They danced with the power, speed and accuracy and grace of cheetahs hunting their prey with every step perfectly placed at precisely the perfect time in the music. Their bodies lunged around the floor in perfect harmony with each other. The space they filled and the music they fulfilled was artistry at its best.

In second place were Eugene Katsevman and Maria Munosova. I watched this couple dance their last Blackpool festival as amateurs and thought that they did not belong there any more. Their dancing was too mature and refined for the Amateur level where everyone dances as fast as they can with little attention put into the art of it all.

Although I liked Maria and Eugene’s dancing a lot, they again left me feeling like I wanted something more from them. I cannot criticize their technique or their skills at all, but I found myself trying to find a spot for them in their first Professional US final and having difficulty doing it. If I was pressed to comment on what I saw or did not see, I would have to say that a lack of connection with the audience and attack would have to be the words I would use; therefore, I did not place them as high as they came in.

Third place was an interesting couple: Pavlo Barsuk and Anna Trebunskaya. I say ‘interesting’ because of how different they are to each other. Anna, the daughter of Irina who is one of my favorite people ever, is what I would call a classic Latin dancer, in the style of Shirley Ballas; she is a solid technician with a very soft and feminine look. Pavlo, on the other hand, dances more like a young kid, all energy and abandonment. Somehow, this contrast of style works for them. If Anna and Pavlo stay together as a couple long enough to find a middle ground from which to further develop their ample talents, they are going to be a force to reckon with for a long time to come.

Vaidotas Skimelis and Jurga Pupelyte came in fourth position on this night, not too far from where I had them which was third. I have always liked this couple. To me, they are the quinsentenial Latin couple - a very strong and masculine man who leads his girl around the floor with the class and elegance that a lady as good as Jurga deserves. I like the way their dancing is presented, not too wild, not too quiet, just right. In my mind, this is what Latin dancing should be - not just two bodies being thrown around the floor to the rhythms of the music, but a controlled symphony of movements that say something and tell a story with each beat and each step.

In fifth place were Delyan Terziev and Boriana Deltcheva. They were my sixth place couple without a doubt. Don’t get me wrong: all the couples in this final were very good. They had to be to make it this far; however, I find Delyan a bit hard and not as flexible and rhythmical as the other guys. I also find myself looking at his feet a lot, somehow they are attracting my eyes and when I look I don’t like what I see. Boriana is another good girl on the floor; I say that because she could be any one of them - good but not special. I do like the attack and commitment this couple displays on the floor, which is the reason they deserved to be in this very good final.

The sixth place couple (Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina) was a huge shock to me, I know what you are going to say – ‘Armando is just pushing the top Fred Astaire Latin couple.’ Well, maybe a little unconsciously, but here is my argument for why this couple should be so much higher.

First of all, since when did we stop giving great, stable couples, who have been dancing in this final for years, the benefit of the doubt? Not that they needed it because they danced great, but we are marking the flavor of the day so much that we as judges are not necessarily giving enough credit to classic, strong technical dancing with developed partnerships that complete a story from beginning to end with every dance they perform on the floor.

Ilya and Nadia were much higher on my sheets because they displayed all the attributes that make up a great couple, with light, shade, elegance, and emotion. They were there in fantastic shape. They danced hard and they danced great but were not rewarded for their efforts. In my mind, all I can think of is that I must’ve been looking for different qualities than the other judges on that night. I liked what I saw out of their dancing and felt they deserved a much higher placement.

The Latin final was fun and interesting to judge because of all the different styles displayed by all the couples and the different styles displayed even within the couples. We can only hope that it continues to be that good and strong for a long time to come.

My only request is that we don’t forget to award couples who take their art much further than just how many steps or tricks they can fit into a measure of music, and instead are trying to fill that same music with emotion, beauty and personal connections. So long.