Dance Spectrum's Winter Showcase: A Peek At Your Potential

If you have an upcoming wedding or cruise (or if you just need a new hobby to tackle together), "social dancing" is a great way for men and women of any age to gain more confidence in their abilities, according to Melissa Lenon, an instructor at on S. Bascom Avenue.

The studio, which has gained a high reputation in the Bay Area after two of its teachers, Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts, were featured on Dancing With the Stars, is hosting its Winter Showcase this Saturday, Jan. 22, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The event is an opportunity for students of the studio to in a competition setting--but without the pressure of judges and points. There will be group heats, simultaneous dancing, and solos; different categories are set out for youth and adult. The same standards will be used as those in competition (for example, 90-second heats). Instructors will also be performing.

The biannual event, which has been thriving for over a decade, attracts several hundred attendees in summer and . Patrons can expect a wide variety of Latin, Smooth, Swing and other styles.

Artjom Shmigeljuk, originally from Ukraine, has been teaching at Dance Spectrum for five years. Lenon sees many benefits of having him on the staff.

"(Eastern Europeans) seem to really value the art of ballroom dance," she says. "We have a strong Russian community in this studio." Sometimes, she notes, Shmigeljuk will instruct his students in Russian.

In particular, he has been one of the first instructors to really nurture the talents of . "Ukraine has many (dance) programs for youth," says Lenon. Shmigeljuk has brought that passion and background with him into the studio, she says.

Both Lenon and Shmigeljuk provide dozens of students with private lessons--but not all Dance Spectrum students need to sign up for the one-on-one ratio.

"It depends on your learning style," she says. Although some dancers feel more comfortable and learn more quickly in a group, bad habits often form in larger classes where the instructor cannot pay individual attention to one couple the entire time.

"It depends where you want to go with it," Lenon says.

About half the dancers at the studio are training for competition, while the other half are simply working on their own skills for fun or exercise. The latter can make use of the studio's 'for beginners only' nights, which occur every three months. These provide a nightclub-like setting where dimmed lighting and a populated room create a more relaxed atmosphere in which beginners can test the waters of social dancing.

For the competitors, the showcase on Saturday is a great trial-run to practice their showmanship. Lenon lists off a number of competitions a pair should enter before establishing themselves on the national circuit--many of them local. The Vernal Equinox Extravaganza at Just Dance Ballroom is one of the Bay Area's much-anticipated dancing events, and a few students of Dance Spectrum will be competing there in March.

"The stamina (involved) is kind of hard to believe," she says of the Waltz dancers. "They look like they're gracefully gliding across the floor, but believe me, they're going to be out of breath!"

Of colleague Natalia Barantseva, who is competing in one of the foremost competitions in the world this year (the Blackpool Dance Festival), Lenon says, "When you look at her on the dance floor, it's like, bam!"

Next generation

Lenon's own son Cole, who is six years old, started dancing lessons six months ago. She recently took him to a City Lights event, and after seeing the dancers on stage he said, "Mom, I want to do that!" Lenon admits she was very happy to see Cole interested in dancing--especially since he came up with the idea to pursue it himself.

Unfortunately, there have been times when students sign up for classes at Dance Spectrum and become overwhelmed by the wide range of talent around them. Lenon recalls one time when a couple snuck out during their first class after seeing some of the professional-level dancers nearby.

"We welcome ," she says. "Remember, everybody started with the basic steps. If you drop by with your two left feet, don't be intimidated!"

This Saturday stands as a great opportunity to get a sneak peek at where your potential might lead you, she points out. "Anybody who does the showcase has a lot of love for the music, love for the dance, and love for the discipline." Audience members who are thinking of giving ballroom dancing a try should treat the showcase as a sample. "We have a really high caliber of instruction [here]," she says.

One of the perks that she likes to point out to newcomers: "There are sexy shoes for female ballroom dancers!" She laughs. "That's one of the benefits... you get to buy new shoes!"

Winter Showcase tickets are $20 at the door, $15 if purchased in advance, in person. Students and seniors receive a $5 discount. For more information, check out the Dance Spectrum website.

Stay tuned this weekend for a recap and photos of the event.