Me dancing at the 2013 Boca Ballroom Battle. Photo by Lacey Lin Photography.
The countdown is on! It is now 23 days until Boca’s Ballroom Battle and the contestants are stepping up their dance lessons, passing on the carbs, dreaming up costumes and wondering if they will ever, ever, learn the d*!# routine.
I remember that summer like it was yesterday when I was one of the eight dancers and absolutely sure I was going to make a fool of myself in front of all of Boca Raton. I thought I was too old, too chubby, too self-conscious, too clumsy to ever dare take on a two-minute dance routine in a ballroom the size of Texas with everyone staring directly at me.
But I did it.
And I never missed a step.
In fact, I was bowled over by all the thunderous applause. I loved it, I ate it up with a spoon. I found myself bowing—over and over again—arms outstretched, like the diva I suddenly was—until they practically had to yank me off with a hook.
It was a night I will never forget.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Boca Ballroom Battle and to commemorate this milestone they have asked all the previous dancers (there are 72 of us!) to perform in the opening number.
I didn’t even have to think about it; I said yes right away.
I can already hear that applause. And I am ready for my close-up.
This year ‘s dancers are:
Jim Dunn, Vice President and General Manager, JM Lexus; Teresa “Terry” Fedele, Registered Nurse, Retired Hospital Executive, Community Volunteer; Lisa Kornstein Kaufman, Founder & Creative Director, Scout & Molly’s; Derek Morrell, Proprietor, Ouzo Bay; Heather Shaw, Vice President and General Manager, Saks Fifth Avenue; Logan Skees, Director of Business Development, Trainerspace; Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb, President, EMT Creative; and John Tolbert, President, Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Boca’s Ballroom Battle is Friday, August 18, at 6 p.m. at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Tickets are $185 per person, or $1,850 per table, with all proceeds benefiting the George Snow Scholarship Fund. For more information, sponsorships or tickets, please call 561/347-6799 or visit ballroombattle.com.
