TV’s Dancing with the Stars isn’t the only place to find top ballroom dancers. This month, four dance couples from Bellevue’s Impulse Ballroom competed at the recent National Dance Council of America’s U.S. Amateur National Dancesport Championships.
Two of the couples won in the respective categories while two others placed high in the standings.
Preteen couple, Gabriel Buccino and Ayana Pagan, won the Latin event where they danced the Samba and Paso Doble against 28 other couples. They also won in the Standard event, where they danced the Waltz and Quickstep against 19 other couples.
Last year’s Preteen syllabus champions, Elijah Clayton and Hannah Shinsato, were in a new age category this year: the Junior division (ages 13-15). The danced the Waltz and Quickstep against 43 other couples in four rounds of competition to emerge winners.
The next day they danced in the Junior High ISTD Closed Syllabus Latin event against 73 couples in the Samba and Rumba and won there, too.
Pacific Northwest Youth Regional 10-Dance Champions, Teleryck Ianakiev and Mariya Starichenok, moved this year into the Adult Championship category. They made the the top 24 in the Latin division and the top 12 in the Standard division, dancing against 45 and 35 couples respectively.
Dancing in the same categories, 9-time Pacific Northwest Adult Regional 10-dance Champions Simeon Stoynov and Kora Stoynova finished in the top 12 in the Adult Championship Latin category and fifth in the Adult Championship Standard category.
Impulse Ballroom is located at 2273 140th Ave. N.E., 425. 746.6600.
