Dancing in Canada

Laetitia and I went on a last-minute dance trip to Canada this past weekend. It started with a phone call: ballroom dancers were needed to partner with local doctors in a benefit/show to raise money for an MRI machine. Laetitia and I were scheduled to dance at the California Open, but thought that this unique opportunity and cause were too good to pass up. We accepted and two days later found ourselves on a plane to Detroit...

We had to leave VERY early in the morning, and left Pumpkin in the competent hands of Kristin. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, we made it through security and onto the US Airways plane fine, but, we ended up sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours because the Phoenix airport was overbooked and couldn’t give us a landing time. This late departure caused us to miss our connection in Phoenix. The next option was to connect with another airline, Northwest, and in doing so, a piece of our luggage was lost. We eventually made it to Detroit, where we were greeted by Angela and Michele, of the Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance; they met all the dancers at the airport and whisked us across the Canadian border in a limo.

We stopped for dinner in Windsor and had a chance to visit a bit... we got to our destination, Chatham-Kent, and were let into the Retro Suites, a building converted into a collection of very unique hotel rooms. After getting settled in and strategizing on how we would make it through the next day with no practice clothes, we fell into bed, knowing we would have to be up and ready to meet and dance with our partners for the first time.

We woke up to find there still was no news about our lost bag, so we had to wear our travel clothes to practice. The van took us to Tim Horton's, which I found out was a staple in the Canadian morning, for coffee/breakfast. We met our doctor/partners at the local high school. Laetitia was partnered with Dr. Gary Tithecott and I with Dr. Donna Watterud. All the people were very friendly, but a bit nervous with what we, and the other pros, were about to do with them...

Because of the time constraints (only 4 hours to work with them before that evening’s competition), all the pros knew that we had to pretty much scrap the routines they had learned and get them to dance with us, as well as put on the best performance possible. They all were under the impression that we were going to drop in and do the routines that they had spent 25+ hours learning from the local dance studio, but this was not practical, since we needed to develop connections and contingency plans just in case something went wrong during the show... basically, we wanted to do it like REAL ballroom dancing = leading and following vs. routines!

The practice sessions went really well, so we headed back to the hotel with a couple hours to get ready for a reception. Dr. Tithecott was kind enough to take Laetitia and me by a local store where Laetitia could buy some replacement make-up since we STILL had no word on the lost baggage. Laetitia and I also took some time to go to Sears to get some clean basics to wear during the reception; we also split a burger at A&W (hadn't been to one in yeeeeears).

The reception was held at the Retro Suites. They treated us like stars... there were photos, press, autographs, and laughs. Then we got our gear and headed over to the main event. The lighting and atmosphere were beautiful. They moved the floor in from the local dance studio, and surrounded it with table seating. There was a raised stage with a projection screen, that showed zoomed views of the action from a few angles.

Before we knew it, the event had started...
Pro Mark danced a quickstep with Dr. Siobhan, pro Susan danced a rumba with Dr. Ken, pro Pierre danced a waltz with Dr. Patricia, Laetitia danced a cha cha with Dr. Gary, I did my tango with Dr. Donna, and then pro Andrea did a jive with Dr. Brian. It was so awesome to catch it on the big screen from back stage... everyone was looking great. At the close of each dance, we got feedback from three judges. Two judges were peers of our partners, and one judge, Glen Brennan, is a ballroom adjudicator.

Dr. Gary and Laetitia got great scores, 9/9/9, and some fun feedback. I also got some great feedback from the tango with Dr. Donna, which had a surprise throw at the end... she tossed me like a rag doll and stood over me in victory = 8/9/9.

The intermission consisted of the local dance teachers dancing with the back-up contestants and our pro numbers. Pierre/Susan did foxtrot, Andrea/Mark did cha cha, and Laetitia and I did Viennese waltz. Then it was back to the competition.

For the second half, Dr. Ken and Susan did foxtrot, Dr. Patricia and Pierre did a rumba, Dr. Brian and Andrea did a quickstep, and Dr. Siobhan and Mark did a Jive. Laetitia did a Viennese with Dr. Gary, which was very different than what he had originally learned. Instead of doing a very basic standard Viennese, with only reverses and naturals, she threw in whisks, run-arounds, and places where he partnered her so she could do big kicks and spins. The crowd when nuts, and the judges gave them PERFECT 10s!!!! I followed with Dr. Donna and our mambo.

Originally, her mambo had been choreographed with heavy emphasis on shines and side-by-side dancing. I received a web video to study in the days before I arrived, and decided there was too much at risk to do such a choreography-dependent routine, with no way for me to lead her out if there were problems. On the other hand, Donna had worked so hard to learn those fancy steps, I didn't want to throw it all away. I saved the most intricate part and worked it into a traditionally partnered mambo. She did a great job, and even though on the second set of shines it started losing sync, I was able to just grab her and keep dancing, with no one the wiser... we also got PERFECT 10s!!!!

The pros did one more show: Pierre/Susan waltzed, Mark/Andrea did a paso/tango number, and Laetitia and I foxtrotted. Wow... Mark and Andrea brought down the house with their paso/tango... everyone gave them a standing ovation... it was AWESOME!

Results time came, and we were all presented with medals and flowers. Pierre and Dr. Patricia got the people's choice honor... she looked so happy and it was well deserved! Then, it was time for the big news... who won the overall championship????

Dr. Gary Tithecott and Laetitia!!!!!!!


It was so awesome and well deserved, as well. Their numbers were so clean, and he smiled and gave 100% in his performance. They were all such good sports for releasing their worries and trusting us to get them ready in those very few hours before the event, and we appreciate the dedication they showed in the weeks prior.

We danced with locals, met lots of friendly people, and look forward to getting lots of pictures and video, as well as maintaining contact with such warm, kind people.

Our trip back went pretty well... our bag was located, and eventually made it to Chatham, an hour after we'd arrived in San Diego! Maybe it'll get here today... I don't know, but I'm glad to be home and glad to have been part of such a great event!

Congrats to all: Organizers, Doctors, Dancers, and people of Chatham-Kent for a great community!