 | Same-Sex Dancing and The Eurogames
by: Heather Devine, www.dancescape.com/eZine
DanceScaper, Covent_Garden_Girl (Heather Devine), gives us an inside
look at what it is like to compete in Same Sex Ballroom Dance
Competitions and the scoop on the 2004 Eurogames. Read about her
experiences as a competitor in events that feature women in sequins
dancing with other women, and men in tailcoats dancing with other
men....
It was with a heavy heart that I went to the Eurogames in Munich. Six
weeks beforehand I had travelled to Berlin for the Pink Ballroom
"warm up" competition with my partner and dance partner. Two weeks
later, my dance partner found herself in the hospital waiting for
general anaesthetic. She had broken her arm after a gale force 7 in a
sailing race and needed an operation that would "manipulate" and
put skewers into her arm. I knew I had an uphill struggle if I were
still to compete in Munich.
Three weeks of intensive practice with a brand new partner meant she
just about knew our routines and more importantly we still had to
decide which costumes we were going to wear - a real issue for two
women to agree upon!
In London, same dancing has been going on for about 15 years now. I
started in 1993 when a friend took me to a ball at the Notre Dame Hall.
Never having danced before, I was quickly taught the basic steps of the
Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Rhythm Foxtrot and Quickstep. Being musical, I
picked them up quickly and was totally entranced at the ball as women
in sequins danced with other women, and men in tails danced with other
men. I thought it was so glamorous. The music was so fresh and full of
variety, and the comfortableness of the dancers moving with each other
was very exciting. I knew immediately that dancing was for me and it
became a turning point in my life. I never knew any straight dancing,
except from re-runs on TV of "Come Dancing".
I was introduced to competitive Ballroom Dancing for same couples
until the Amsterdam Gay Games in 1998. At the time, I had missed the
Ballroom competition but was able to arrive in time for the Latin and
the Wheelchair Dancing. The hall was huge and the seating immense.
There were 6 classes categorized from A to F. Class A was designated
for professionals, B was where one member of the couple belonged, for
example, a dance teacher, and F was for complete beginners. It was an
emotional experience and hundreds of people had attended.
The Eurogames of 2004 truly captured and revived the spirit of
Amsterdam. I stayed in the Sheraton, which was part of the original
Olympic Village from the 1982 Olympics. Thursday July 29th marked the
opening ceremony where 11,000 people filled the Olympic Hall in Munich.
The Mayor of Munich attended to pronounce the opening of the Games and
as 7,500 competitors marched in, he announced to the and lesbian
audience: "YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!"
Dancing featured prominently in the ceremony. A rapturous applause
followed for a troupe of mixed Wheelchair dancers. They performed
an exciting routine to a medley from "Grease" showing just what
wheelchair dancers can do. The Swinging Sisters from Cologne performed
a Ballroom medley with Claudia and Dunja, the reigning women's
ballroom champions performing a saucy "Cabaret-style" routine. The
festivities then moved on to include top performers, like Jimmy
Somerville.
The dancing competition itself took place over two days in the Olympic
Hall, a most fantastic venue both in terms of size, location but also
facilities. On day one, the Women's Latin and Men's Ballroom; on
day two, the Women's Ballroom, Men's Latin, and Wheelchair
competitions (Ballroom & Latin).
There were a number of highlights of the competition for me. One in
particular was a UK dancer who has cancer. The joy of dancing lifted
her high and for me, the enjoyment on her face during the competition
was unlike anything that I had ever seen before. She really knew how to
communicate with the audience as she danced, and it was an incredible
experience to watch her dance - I felt the joy that she had for
competing enter into my heart.
For those of you who aren't so familiar with the top competitors in
the same dancing world, the top Ballroom dancers in the Men's
competition are Bernd Farwick and Klaus Padberg who had decided, after
all, not to retire, but to compete. A delight to watch, all 7 judges
placed them first in all five dances - a clean sweep, and well
deserved.
In the women's competition, the reigning champions, Claudia Reger and
Dunja Jansen retained their title with, in my opinion, a really
exciting Tango with a stunning opening.
Sabine Karko and Beate Fricke took the Women's Latin title and I
believe that this was their first major win.
In the Men's Latin, Horst Droste and Pascal Herrbach of Berlin
retained their title, with Russell Halley and Jorge Guzman from New
York, once again coming second. Newcomers to the same scene, Kalin
Mitov and Ivailo Krastev from Sofia, Bulgaria surprised themselves by
their third place. They had entered the C class and upon being upgraded
to the A class, had not prepared a Paso Doble. In earlier rounds, the
Paso Doble is danced to the second highlight, but in the final, the
competitors go to the third highlight - clearly no one had told them
this, as they took a moment before they realised they had to dance some
more!
As for me, with my stand-in partner, we reached the semi final of the
Women's B class. We were both very delighted to be there and part of
the whole fantastic event.
The next Eurogames is at Utrect in 2005 and the Outgames is in Montreal
in 2006.
For more information, visit www.dancescape.com and
www.dancescape.com/eZine
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