2020 has been a crazy year thus far. Yet, though we may think things have come to a halt, the ballroom world has pushed forward to get back to the “swing” of things! Anne and Shelley paved the way for all of us in heading to the Grand Nationals Dancesport Championships in Miami, FL. We asked them a few questions on how they felt while heading to the first competition of 2020.
1) What safety precautions were taken to reduce any risk of spread throughout the ballroom? (Spacing of tables, hand sanitizer, mask requirements, meals served, etc)
Shelley: “Masks were mandatory everywhere except on the dance floor and they enforced it. If I waited too long to put my mask back on after dancing and drinking water, I was told to put it back on by monitors that were constantly walking around. They took our temperature before entering the ballroom each day. They also made periodic announcements that your mask must be worn at all times even at your table. They only allowed people that were participating in the competition to enter the ballroom and ensured this by stamping our hand and checking every time we entered the ballroom. They gave us a face mask and had hand sanitizer at each table.”
2) How did you personally feel as far as your comfort level when walking into the ballroom? (did you feel safe?)
Anne: “I felt very safe walking onto the dance floor. It was a large ballroom with plenty of space to spread out. Everyone followed the guide lines – obviously we all wanted to return to competition badly enough to be respectful of the requirements necessary to be there.”
3) How do you feel about going to another competition given your experience at this competition?
Shelley: “Given my experience at this competition, I would definitely go again. Just say when and where!!”
Anne: “I am going to the Ohio Star Ball on the 17th, and I feel quite comfortable going there. I expect that it will be equally as well run and I feel very safe about it. I think we just have to be careful as we all are being in our personal lives right now.”
You ladies are showing that the new normal has a bright future for the ballroom world! Looking forward to getting back to waltzing back onto the competition floor! 👍