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St. Pete's Vinoy Hosts DanceSport Championship

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By JESSICA DaSILVA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 26, 2008

TAMPA - With chairs cloaked in animal prints and a stage adorned with palm fronds and tiki torches, the Plaza Ballroom of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg looks more like an indigenous tribe's elaborate altar than a ballroom.

Except for the glossy dance floor and extremely sparkly dancers, that is.

This week, the resort is hosting the 11th annual Millennium DanceSport Championship, a national ballroom and Latino dance competition. Always a big deal with those in the small world of competitive dancing, this year's event is enjoying unprecedented attention because of the popularity of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."

One of the TV show's professional dancers, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, is part of the competition's panel of almost 30 judges. During past seasons, Chmerkovskiy has been paired with singer-actress Willa Ford, actress Tia Carrere and Muhammad Ali's daughter Laila Ali.

The event, with amateur competitions during the day and the professional contests and shows at night, is open to the public. The competition will last through Sunday.

Participants vie for top titles, scholarships and prize money that varies according to age, experience and type of dance.

Kiyoshi Yamamoto, assistant organizer, said amateur competitions consist of students pairing with their instructors, a la "Dancing With The Stars," in which 12 celebrities pair with professional dancers and face off in weeks of ballroom dancing competitions.

Each day of the event is devoted to a type of ballroom or Latino dances. Multiple competitions for variations of the dances are held for amateurs and professionals.

Although "Dancing With The Stars" might be many people's first introduction to ballroom dancing, for most of those in this week's competition, ballroom and Latino-style dancing isn't a new fad.

Researcher Lisa Murrell, 30, of Sarasota, has been dancing since she was 3 and has been to the Millennium DanceSport Championship three times.

"It's a great opportunity to do what I love to do," Murrell said.

Some dancers, however, took up ballroom dancing because of its increased exposure on television and in movies.

Alonso High School student Jenna Silvers, 16, said she began dancing about a year ago, inspired by recent movies that showcase ballroom dancing such as "Take the Lead" and "Shall We Dance."

Silvers said she hopes to be a professional dancer in "American Smooth" types of dance and travel the world to compete.

Until then, it will just be an expensive hobby. Silvers' dress - a hot pink, sequined number - cost more than $1,000.

"I love how it makes me feel on the inside when people are watching me dance," Silvers said. "Some people might think it's weird, but that's them."

Reporter Jessica DaSilva can be reached at (813) 259-7851 or jdasilva@tampatrib.com.

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