The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

MEMBERS OF the Bahamas Salsa Social Network finished strong during the Ballroom Blitz competition held in Orlando, Florida. They brought home the championship title in the youth category.

The Bahamas Salsa Network, formed in 2010, has competed in Ballroom Blitz since 2011. The group of dance enthusiasts meets every Sunday at the University of West Indies campus where children are taught different dance techniques, including Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Rumba and Salsa.

Five couples ranging from 9 -19 years travelled to Orlando with this year’s dance team. While the group has participated in the Ballroom Blitz before, this year was the most successful, said Indira Francis, president of the BNS.

“I was shocked when I got their because you know kids they do not really like to practice and I am definitely on them all the time about practice. But the performances were first class, especially the dance team in their group. The judges were thrilled,” she said.
The performers were graded on systems of movement, precision and appearance.

“They were scored between 1- 24 and the kids got no lower than a 23. So they did extremely well. They surprised me because we did not have as much time to put it into practice. But they still nailed the performance,” Ms Francis said.

Ms Francis said the competition is beneficial in that it disciplines students and gives them the opportunity to see the different cultures and people.

“We find that the competition gives the kids something to look forward to in order to spend time practicing and perfecting their skills. There are so many benefits for them because they get to see that the world is much larger than the Bahamas. They get to see what true competition is and that they have to make a mark and step up to the challenge. They learn a lot more discipline. They realise that you have to work hard in order to win, and they get great exposure to other countries and languages. They learn a lot of life skills and they meet people who can help them get scholarships and we are working toward that. Right now they are holding the title at the Youth Blitz because there are about 50 countries that go to that event,” she said.

Ms Francis said she encourages more children, especially boys to start dancing.

“Kids with no dance training, especially the boys join the group. It is very difficult to recruit boys; boys do not like dance in the Bahamas. But we are happy to say we have been able to encourage a lot of boys to participate, because Ballroom Dance will become an Olympic Sport in 2014. I have already been approached by persons who would like to train Bahamians kids for the Olympics in this particular sport because they realise they have natural rhythm and skill. So we are just moving along hoping that happens in the future. Women need men to dance with, and the sport can only be a success if men step forward and be encouraged to dance,” she said.

Since the Ballroom Blitz performance, the Bahamas Salsa Social Network was invited to participate in the World Dance Art Foundation (WDAF) Stars of Tomorrow showcase.

The group hosts free dance sessions every Thursday at Via Caffe.