Ballroom dancers compete

• By ASHLEY M. BAILEY
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jun 29, 2009 - Page: 1B

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Rachel Henriquez insisted Sunday that she could still cha-cha, rumba and swing to her heart’s desire despite being seven months pregnant.

Dressed in a draped backless blue dress with her very prominent belly, Henriquez worked the floor just as well as her competitors with seemingly no problems.

“It actually has not been a big deal at all,” she said.

Henriquez, a dance instructor based in Mandeville, was one of hundreds of dancers at the Gumbo of Ballroom contest in Baton Rouge. She and some of her students entered the weekendlong contest at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Gumbo of Ballroom featured two separate contests. The second competition held Sunday was the pro-am competition, where professional dancers were paired with amateurs.

Henriquez, a professional dancer, performed several times. She and some of her students walked away with ribbons and medals.
“Everybody wins something,” she said. “It’s not about winning or losing.”

Ann Durocher-Steven, chairwoman for the event, said more than 250 couples from 20 different states competed over the weekend. “It’s a very large competition,” she said.

Competitors ranged in age from 8 to 80, Durocher-Steven said. Dancers of every skill level competed in four ballroom dance genres: American smooth, American rhythm, International Standard and International Latin.

“We’ve had an excellent competition,” Durocher-Steven said. “I am most impressed with the level of competitiveness at all skill levels.”

Overall winners in each competition at the contest qualify to compete at the USA Dance National Championships. Gumbo of Ballroom is one of the top qualifiers in the nation, Durocher-Steven said.

Scholarships totaling $5,300 were distributed among some of the winners.

The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has officially recognized ballroom dancing as a sport by making it a part of the 2009 Louisiana Governor’s Games.

Durocher-Steven said one of Gumbo of Ballroom’s missions is to “expose the people of Baton Rouge to ballroom as a sport.”