@nydancefestival has always had a sense of homecoming; this is the city where we met and fell in love, the city that raised us as dancers and people. we were so thrilled to make the rising star final here our first year competing as a professional couple ❤️✨
this comp is special, and i always learn something new from being part of it. as a younger dancer, i would watch the world-class professionals here and think, wow, they’re so perfect. but that feeling of awe is really less about refinement or consistency and more about how alive you have to be on that floor—on the edge and in the moment, with no barriers between you and everyone watching. it requires so much bravery to show yourself like that. grateful to have felt and witnessed it, and heading back to the studio freshly inspired 💕
thank you to @eugenekatsevman , @mariamanusova , and the entire NYDF team for your monumental efforts—we can’t wait to dance here again! and as always, to @perlinadancedesigns , @boykoco , and @nyfashion_usa for keeping us looking and feeling our best 💐💐💐
last but not least, to the friends we shared this weekend with, whether we were on the floor at the same time, cheering each other on, or up talking into the wee hours of the morning. what a world we get to be part of 🥹
new york isn’t new york without you ✨ a very special rainy day shoot with @ismael_cam , who we met at a competition last year! thanks for always capturing so much of who we are 🥹
when we first shared our dream of someday dancing professionally, the advice we got from almost every coach came down to the same thing: identity. as smooth dancers, we have nearly infinite options for self-expression; it takes time to figure out what you’re here to say, and courage to commit to it. we are so far from perfect, and we get down on ourselves (and each other) too often for that.
but we do this style because we love it so much. dance is a means of bringing more people into that love, lighting each other up with it. so as we prepared to move from amateur to professional, we talked a lot about how to stay grounded in that love. what we love about smooth and want to show in our own dancing: breath and fluidity, strength and tenderness. the struggle to love your partner well, to relinquish the need for control and truly trust each other. the joy of building community through teaching and sharing our craft.
we are so lucky to have been guided to this step by coaches and mentors who’ve helped us become more ourselves—who understand the level of transformation and self-belief this work requires. we’re equally indebted to the bicoastal community of amateur dancers we’ve come up with, who care for each other so beautifully both on and off the floor. we will never not be in progress, and we’re grateful from the bottom of our hearts to everyone coming along for the ride.
see you on the rising star floor this fall ❤️
an absolute pleasure to compete at @emeraldballdancesport for the first time as professionals, and to be back on the west coast for the first time since we moved last summer 🥹✨ something about california will always feel like home, and getting to dance again in the place where it all started for us was so special 💗
thank you to @wayneeng and @donna_eng for putting on this beautiful event year after year! truly a gift to share the floor with such a strong and inspiring field 💐
💃🏻 @perlinadancedesigns@boykoco@pivotdancesport
🕺🏻 @mkstyle_dancewear@ld_dance_shoes
sunday night of @nydancefestival was always the most exquisite and inspiring for me to watch as a baby dancer…unbelievable to now be a part of it. grateful to @lillianhephotography for capturing a moment from our first year on this floor as professionals 🦋✨
Dancing takes over NYC! Unforgettable night with record-breaking rounds! Thanks for dancing with us, see you all next time! More videos coming soon 😝
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#ballroomdance #ballroomdancers #ballroomdancing #competitionprep #stamina
wherever you go, that’s where i’ll follow 💕 i was flying high by the end of this round—thank you @gatewaydancesportchampionships for the most magical night ✨
turning up the voltage ⚡️ a little foxtrot from @gatewaydancesportchampionships ! one of those rounds where each dance felt better than the last 🥹✨
🎥 credit to @jeffynately 💕
