What better place is there for a dance competition than Las Vegas?! When you combine the excitement of the city itself with the excitement of great dancing, you have a winning combination. That’s what competitors and spectators alike enjoyed this past weekend at the Vegas Showdown.
Organizers Maria Hansen, Mikal Watkins, and Paul Holmes produce one of the friendliest events on the circuit. As organizers, they make it a point to give each competitor, from the first timer to the elite professional, a feeling of welcome and inclusion. As always, the weekend is concluded with a party hosted by the organizers for all package holders and professionals. This generous spirit is seen throughout the event, with personal touches and attention to detail that competitors appreciate.
Features:
The organizers’ care and attention to service has paid off with devoted attendees returning year after year, in addition to new dancers who’ve heard the positive reviews and have now turned out themselves. In fact, this year’s event was a record with over 5200 entries! With the large number of entries, the morning event needed to begin earlier than originally scheduled, but the hosts added another personal touch here by providing coffee and muffins in the ballroom for all those dancers who had to get up early. Held once again at the Las Vegas Hilton, it’s just a short ride from McCarran airport to the hotel. The Hilton is one block over from the strip, which makes it convenient enough to see all the famed attractions of the Las Vegas strip, but avoid some of the traffic on the main drag itself. The rooms at the Hilton are well appointed-I personally liked the very soft and luxurious bed linens! With the comp special room rate, you’ll find it a super value, although be sure to book ahead of time to ensure the room block does not sell out.
Kid’s Events:
One of the standout features of the comp is the organizers promotion of dancesport for children, with their “Kids Korner” events taking place on Saturday afternoon. It’s heartening to see the numbers of kids participating in these events continue to grow over the years. Not only are there the veteran dedicated serious young competitors, but also groups from high schools and grade schools with after school dancesport programs getting on the dance floor for the first time, as well as young kids dancing pro-am. Delgado’s Dance School owners Tony and Dana Delgado, have really spearheaded the interest of Las Vegas youth in public schools, with their after school programs pairing up young competitors and organizing classes (even transportation from school to the studio). It’s great to see the growing interest in ballroom dancing from these kids, and the excitement they have about performing and competing.
Professional Events:
Even with the well established Heritage Classic taking place at the same time across the country in North Carolina, the professional division just seem to keep growing at the Vegas Showdown. Most of the events started from a quarterfinal, making the competition gritty for the participating dancers and building excitement in the crowd. You can see the results by clicking here, for a complete list of the events and placements.
Adding to the convenience for competitors, was that by Sunday morning, all the scrutineer sheets for completed events were already posted online, and by Monday, the entire competition’s results were available online.
Next year, the event is changing it’s name to Vegas Open. Besides the name change, the organizers have revamped their logo and branding, bringing forward a more sophisticated image, which I think is fitting for such a great event. The also have a great website, which offers the convenience of online registration and ability to pay by credit card-features which other competitions should take note of!
Take a look at this comp when you plan your next year’s competitive season. You won’t be disappointed!
With her husband Erik, they are the founders of DanceSport Place and have a passion to help dancesport competitors reach their dancing goals.
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