The Ballroom Spirit Youth Latin Tour Grand Finale was a thrilling dance competition that took place in Boston on July 30, 2022. The event attracted the best young dancers from across the country, who came together to showcase their skills in Latin and show dance dance styles. The competition was fierce, with many couples delivering outstanding performances in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Competition was held at the Boston Park Plaza hotel. The hotel first opened its doors in 1927, and the ballroom was part of the original building. Over the years, the ballroom has been used for a variety of events, from lavish parties and grand balls to business meetings and conferences. The ballroom has maintained its classic elegance and timeless charm, making it one of the most sought-after event spaces in Boston, even today the ballroom at the Boston Park Plaza hotel is considered a landmark in the city, and continues to be one of the premier venues for events of all kinds.
The Grand Finale was the culmination of the Ballroom Spirit Youth Latin Tour, which had been taking place throughout the year in selected dance events in the United States:
The event was a huge success, with multitude of young dancers taking to the stage to perform their best routines. The competition was judged by a panel of experienced and highly respected dance professionals, who evaluated the dancers based on their technique, style, and overall performance. The judges were impressed by the high standard of dancing on display, and had a tough job deciding on the winners.
In the end, the first place went to Dave Firestein & Kennedy Eaton who took home the grand prize of $5,000. They placed second in all the Latin Dances getting a total of 25 points for that; in the solo presentation they got 94.43 points from the judges and from the audience vote they got 16.6 points, giving them a total of 136.03 points and the victory.
Second place was awarded to the elegant couple of Vadym Pidhoretskyy & Ruby Castro who won all five Latin dances giving them 30 points for that challenge. In their solo presentation they got 92.43 points, and in the audience vote they took 7.83 points for a total of 130.26 points and making them second in the Grand Finale.
Third place in the tour was awarded to Sebastian Lennox & Veronica Baranova who in the Latin dances were 5th in the C, S, R and 4th in the P, J. This gave them a total of 12 points for that challenge. Their solo was their strong point and they got 93.57 from the judges (2nd place) and from the audience they got 10.9 (also 2nd place) and so with a total of 114.19 points they were awarded third overall.
Fourth place in the tour went to Kevin Filipczak & Sophia Marriott. They placed third in all 5 Latin dances and so they were awarded 20 points for that challenge. They took 89.29 from the judges in the solo performance and 4.905 from the audience giving them a total of 114.19 points and a fourth place finish.
Fifth in this Latin tour was awarded to Nathan Zaytsev & Aliza Bankova they were 4th in the first three Latin dances and fifth in the Paso Doble and Jive and for this effort they were given 13 points; they took 91.43 points from the judges in their solo presentation and 4.61 from the audience giving them a full total of 109.04 points and a fifth place finish.
Sixth in this Latin tour was Emil Martirosyan & Sophia Shvartsman, they placed sixth in all the Latin dances and they got 5 points for this effort. In the Solo competition Emil & Sophia were awarded 88.57 points, and the audience gave them 5.155, (4th place) their total was 98.73 points and a sixth place finish for this tour.
Gallery of the event:
In conclusion, the Ballroom Spirit Youth Latin Tour Grand Finale was a fantastic showcase of young talent and a celebration of the passion and artistry of dance. We would like to thank all dancers that took part in the tour and we hope to see many more exciting performances in 2023 in the Ballroom Spirit Standard Youth Tour. It was a fitting end to a successful tour, and a testament to the bright future of ballroom dancing in the United States.