A 9 Dance Champion: Memorial Dancesport Students at the Embassy Ballroom Championships

Big news from California: two of my students just came home from the Embassy Ballroom Championships with hardware. Amy is the 9 Dance Champion, and Bill took 2nd place in Smooth and 3rd in Standard. For a Houston studio that teaches its first-timers and its competitors on the same floor, weeks like this are what the mirrors are for.

What is the Embassy Ballroom Championships?

Embassy is one of the country's premier ballroom events, held in Southern California and sanctioned by the WDC and NDCA - a floor where professionals and amateur competitors from across the world dance under championship judging. It is a long way from a first box step on the Katy Freeway, and that is exactly the point: the road there runs through ordinary lesson nights.

What does winning a 9 Dance Championship take?

Nine dances means competing across BOTH American styles - Smooth (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz) and Rhythm (Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, Mambo). A 9 Dance competitor cannot hide in a specialty; every fundamental shows. Amy built that range one lesson at a time, the same way every student here builds: technique classes, practice parties, and a teacher who will not let a weak dance stay weak. That is what makes this championship special - it is a whole-dancer title.

Two podiums in the classic styles

Bill brought home 2nd in Smooth and 3rd in Standard - the two styles that look most alike to a newcomer and feel most different to a dancer. Smooth opens the partnership for turns and side-by-side work; Standard keeps the closed hold and travels with it. Placing in both at one event says everything about his frame, his discipline, and a lot of Tuesday nights.

Do you have to compete to dance here?

No - most of my students never step on a competition floor, and the Thursday night parties are where their dancing lives. But if the competition bug ever bites, the path exists and it is proven: the same studio that taught Amy and Bill their first steps stood with them at Embassy. Competing is a choice, never a requirement; being taught like it matters is the default.

Frequently asked questions

**Can beginners train at a studio with champions?** That is the best place to train. Championship teaching filters down to every first lesson - the standards do not change, only the pace.

**How long until someone could compete?** Some students take a local comp within a year; others wait longer or never do. It depends on your goals, and there is no pressure either way.

**What does it cost to start?** The first lesson is on us. Call 713-468-1628 and I will lay out the road honestly.

**Where are you?** 8412 Katy Freeway, Suite 320, in Memorial - minutes from Spring Branch and the Energy Corridor.

Congratulations, Amy and Bill - Houston dances bigger because of you. If their story stirs something, come take the free first lesson at memorialdancesport.com/contact-8. Every champion in this post started with one.

Related reading: What a ballroom competition weekend is really like for students · What actually happens in your first ballroom dance lesson

Your first lesson is on us. Reach out here and I will set it up.