Competitive and Performance ballroom dancing is continually evolving and most certainly expanding what is possible in movement, expression, and style. Despite some trendiness in music and presentation that sometimes falls flat and thankfully disappears, this dancing with its emotive, beautiful musicality, and smooth powerful movement still amazes and dazzles us because it is, after all, magically, two people moving as one.
This evolution and expansion emanates from a very deep-coursing foundation of collective wisdom—for ten decades, each generation of champions has invented new figures to dance, modified existing ones, and puzzled out how to dance them better. Everything today rests on this foundation.
When I watch lectures given by the current master coaches who are influencing the championship dancing of 2016, I certainly hear more detailed and incisive language to teach us how to produce movement, shape, extend lines, and dance together musically. I also hear a clearer understanding of body mechanics and how to push the limits of movement and shape. But I also hear the inescapable echo of everything I have ever heard from the previous generation of coaches and by extension, their coaches. The basic principles never seem to change, and today’s innovations and expansions depend upon our mastery of those principles.
My first training was in the International Standard and Latin-American Bronze, Silver, and Gold Syllabus—earning Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals in both styles in all syllabus categories. My instructor was Suzanne Nyemchek. Suzy is a taskmaster for good footwork, general technique, and a real stickler for correct timing. At the time she trained me she was a Standard and Latin Rising Star Champion with her husband, David Nyemchek. She gave me a very solid beginning to my training. Suzy is teaching today, all the styles of Ballroom and Latin, at the studio she started with her husband, David Nyemchek, and Steve Brockman–Just Dancing Studio in Manchester, MO.
I received continuous training in the fundamentals of ballroom dance technique for movement, lines and shape, musicality, presentation, and choreography from 1985 to 1995. I began teaching in 1998.
The most formative training that has shaped my understanding and approach to International Standard dancing came primarily from Jock and Bemil McGregor and Peter Eggleton. Above all the admittedly important attributes that we must have, they placed one above all the others, and that was the quality of movement.
The McGregors were the European Amateur Champions and World and British Amateur Finalists. They consistently placed among the top five couples in all world-class, European, and British Championships both as amateurs and professionals for a decade of their competitive life. They were one of the pioneer couples to introduce competition ballroom dancing to Japan and Southeast Asia; and they toured Europe, South Africa, Asia, and the United States coaching, adjudicating, and performing. They settled in California and opened a studio in Santa Monica. For the remainder of their lives they provided a high standard of coaching in ballroom dancing to the American dance community.
Peter Eggleton, with a variety of partners, won all of the world-class, European, and British Amateur Championships. With his partner, Brenda Wynslade, Mr. Eggleton won 33 World, British, and European Professional Championships, sharing that distinction with Bill and Bobbie Irvine. Mr. Eggleton, along with the other World and British Champions, The Irvines, Benny Tolmeyer, Richard and Janet Gleave, and Michael and Vicky Barr, contributed to the development and success of all the top champions of the 1980s and 1990s. It is those couples, the Hilliers, the Hiltons, Schiavo, Barrichi, and many others from that period, who are influencing and developing the current generation of champions.
For the ballroom dance historians among you, the McGregors were trained by Henry Jacques. Mr. Eggleton’s primary influence was Len Scrivener and Len Colyer. I believe I was very uniquely blessed to have had these influences in my own development. All that I was given by these dancers resonates when I study current coaching themes. It is because of this training I can even attempt to access the ideas and challenges put forth by today’s top coaches and competitive couples.
Along my journey as a ballroom dancer and instructor I have had a great deal of sustaining help from:
John and Cathy Nyemchek, United States 10 Dance Champions in International Ballroom and Latin-American Ballroom Dance
Victor Verasseyet, 8 Year US Champion in International Ballroom Dance
Glenis Dee, US Champion in Latin-American Ballroom Dance
Alan Clements and Diana Roberts, Rising Star Champions and Open Professional Championship Finalists in International Style Ballroom Dance
Olga Bogdonov, Russian National Champion in International Ballroom Dance
On several occasions I have had some exquisite coaching experiences from Kenny and Marion Welsh, Steven and Lindsay Hillier, and John Wood, all Champions in International Standard Ballroom Dance.
And probably one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life was taking several day’s worth of lessons from Benny Tolmeyer in his south London studio. I can remember almost every measure of it! While Benny Tolmeyer never won any of the major championships, he was always in the finals. He was renowned for his musical expression, very subtle and creative use of choreography, and an extraordinarily high quality of movement. He was desired and sought after by all the current and aspiring champions from around the world, and trained every world-class championship couple from 1965 until his death. We had the unusual good fortune to be able to spend some time with him and we knew it. He made his best effort to transform my foxtrot from something he characterized as “somewhat loping,” into something, shall we say, acceptable. The other highlight of my dance career was to have Mr. Tolmeyer mark me through in the Foxtrot at the Imperial Championships in Guilford, England. That meant more than any medal ever won.
Syllabus Medals
19 Pro-Am Competitions with Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals awarded in
the International Standard and Latin-American Dances
including:
Eastern United States Championships (ISTD)
Imperial Championships (ISTD)
North American Championships (ISTD)
St. Louis Star Ball
Emerald Star Ball—Santa Monica, CA
California Star Ball—Los Angeles, CA
Ohio Star Ball—Columbus, OH
Amateur Competitions in International Standard Ballroom Dance
(dancing the following competitions multiple years)
North American Championships (ISTD)
International Standard Bronze & Silver Novice Finalists
International Latin-American Bronze & Silver Finalists
International Standard Pre-Championship Silver Medalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
Ohio Star Ball
International Standard Bronze & Silver Finalists
International Latin-American Bronze & Silver Finalists
International Standard Pre-Championship Silver Medalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
International Standard Senior Championships Finalists
Eastern United States Championships (ISTD)
International Standard Bronze & Silver Novice Champions
International Latin-American Bronze & Silver Medalists
International Standard Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
Imperial Star Championships (ISTD)
International Standard Gold Novice Champions
International Standard Pre-Championship Bronze Medalists
Detroit Star Ball
International Standard Novice Four-Dance Champions
International Standard Pre-Championship Champions
International Standard Open Semi –Finalists and Finalists
California Open Championships
International Standard Novice Four-Dance Silver Medalists
International Standard Pre-Championship Silver Medalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
California Winter Open Festival—San Francisco, CA
International Standard Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
Emerald Star Ball—Santa Monica, CA
International Standard Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
United States Amateur Championships
International Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Waltz Bronze Medalists
International Standard Foxtrot Bronze Medalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
US Imperial Championships (ISTD)
International Standard Pre-Championship Bronze Medalists
International Standard Open Semi-Finalists
Virginia State Championships
International Standard Pre-Championship Bronze Medalists
International Standard Amateur Open Finalists
California Star Ball
International Standard Pre-Championship Champions
International Standard Amateur Open Semi-Finalists
Maryland Invitational Championships
International Standard Amateur Open Finalists
La Classique—Montreal, Canada
International Standard Pre-Championship 35+ Champions
International Standard Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Open Quarter-Finalists
London Cup—Ontario, Canada
International Standard 35+ Amateur Open Champions
International Standard Amateur Open Finalists
World Amateur Latin-American Championships
International Standard Pre-Championship Finalists
International Standard Open Quarter-Finalists
Ontario Open Championships
International Standard 35+ Amateur Open Finalists
International Standard Amateur Open Quarter-Finalists
Imperial Championships—Guilford, England
International Standard Amateur Open
Hammersmith Open Championships—London, England
International Standard Amateur Open
British Championships—Blackpool, England
International Standard Amateur 35+ Open
International Standard Amateur Open
Kensington Championships—Kensington, England
International Standard Amateur 35+ Open
International Standard Amateur Open
St. Louis Star Ball
International Standard Amateur Open Silver Medalists
International Standard Amateur Open Champions—3 Years