4 Dancers Share What Surprised Them About Competing
Competing offers dancers and performers of all levels an opportunity to grow that’s unlike any other. When you compete, there is something greater and more substantial at stake than when you perform in a show, and because of that, the experience pushes you outside of your comfort zone in a different way, showing you just how much you are capable of achieving. In so doing, the act of competing creates a new “base level” for you as a dancer, helping you continue to improve and take your journey to new heights.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, competing always offers something new to learn and discover. Keep reading to hear what surprised these 4 talented dancers most about competing, and be sure to register to compete at the Tri-State Dance Festival here.
Kathryn Johanessen
Kathryn Johanessen, who currently performs on multiple teams for Huracán Dance Company, first began her journey as a ballroom dancer. Since that time, she’s expanded her repertoire to include Salsa, Cha Cha, and Hustle—both performing and competing in these three categories over the past 10 years. Around the time she entered the competition world in 2013, she had two back-to-back cancer diagnoses—breast cancer and multiple myeloma—but continued dancing, finding the challenge of competition and support of her dance community immensely therapeutic.
Competitions she considers notable include the 2020 World Salsa Summit (3rd place, Over 50 Solo), 2021 World Salsa Summit (1st place, Cha Cha Solo; and 2nd place, Over 40 and Over 50 Pro-Am Cha Cha and Pro-Am Salsa), and the 2023 DiscoAmerica Classic (2nd place, Hustle Pro-Am).
Kathryn shares, “It surprised me that I would start doing solos and even start choreographing my first solo. My preference has always been the follower role in partnerwork dancing; that is my comfort zone. However, there are not as many amateur leaders interested in competing as there are followers. In order to continue to grow as a dancer, I started doing solos.
In speaking with many pros over the past years, I discovered many pros have never done a solo routine. Even they find it can bring up uncomfortable feelings and emotions. It was in those discussions that I had to step back and really realize what a huge step it was for me on a personal level to start competing in the solo category. It has actually taken about 3 years of putting myself out there in the solo category to get somewhat comfortable with it. It hasn't been easy but I'm so glad that I started this journey.
Another thing that surprised me is that I care less and less about my placements each time. As a result, that has ironically led to better dancing and better scores from the judges. The more that my mindset has shifted from 'What will the judges think?' 'How will I place?' to a mindset of 'I want to go out there and really dance and feel comfortable with myself, my dancing, the audience,’ the more fun I have, and the better I do.”
Roy Castro
Roy Castro, who hails from Florida, has been dancing for 12 years—professionally for 7 of those years. He’s trained intensively with some of the most renowned professionals in the scene, and currently travels the world teaching and performing with his dance partner, Jeannette Fiallo. Today, Roy coaches and choreographs for various teams and couples nationwide, and also directs his own dance company, Anima Dance Company—a group for which he has competition aspirations in the future.
As a competitor, he was previously co-director of Agapé Dance Company, which won dozens of world championship titles across pro, pro-am, and amateur team categories for both Salsa and Bachata. During his tenure there, the teams earned multiple 1st place finishes.
He says of the experience, “Something that surprised me about competing was the amount of diversity that I would encounter in a dance environment that was meant to be more standardized. People from all over the world adding their own vastly different style or flare within the confines of a detailed set of rules and guidelines was very interesting to see.
Also, when I first started competing, I was most surprised about the level of detail that must be given to training, performing, and visual aesthetic so that you can score well. It highly exceeded what my previous conception of it was.
What continues to surprise me is that no matter how much you’ve trained or prepared, you will always find someone who is either better than you at something, or will inspire you in some way.”
Marco Sanchez-Ayala
Currently a dancer for Angel and Stephany’s New York City semi-pro team, El Corillo Del Mambo, Marco Sanchez-Ayala has been dancing Salsa for four years. He was previously a dancer for Tumbao de Huracán, and partook in his first competition at Calgary International Salsa Congress in 2022.
Since that time, he’s competed numerous times in various categories, including Amateur Male Salsa Solo, Amateur Salsa Showcase, Salsa Heats, Amateur Cha Cha Showcase, and most recently he’s even competed at The Summit Championship in 2023.
Reflecting on the experience, he shared, “At first, I got into competing to push beyond my comfort zone and have a new goal, like performing a solo. I didn’t expect to get so into it and feel so inspired. I’m actually humbled and inspired by all the younger competitors absolutely crushing it. They’re so talented.
I was also surprised to see such camaraderie amongst the competitors, or to experience everyone being so friendly toward each other. We’re all there under the same big lights, with the same elevated judge’s table in front of us, and everyone’s just there to do their best. I actually ended up following some of the dancers I competed against on social media, and now we continue to see each other grow. I’m excited for the next time we go back and compete against each other, for all of us to bring it hard at a new level.”
Bryan Perez
Having danced for 11.5 years to date, Bryan Perez has a broad spectrum of experience in the Salsa scene. Based in New York, he’s danced with Melanie Castillo, Elvis Collado, Fausto and the Kingsmen and now runs his own team, Imparable Dance Company.
He’s placed in numerous competitions, including but not limited to: 1st place in the male bachata team shines division with La Fuerza Kingsmen at the 2018 World Salsa Summit, and 1st in Male Open Salsa Shines division at the 2018 World Salsa Summit. He’s also placed in the top 3 for multiple Just Dance Heats in the pro division at the 2023 Summit Championships.
In addition, he’s placed 1st at various local competitions within the professional solo division, such as the 2022 Tri-State Dance Fest, as well as the 2022 Escape to the Poconos festival.
Bryan, whose very first competition was at the Canada Salsa and Bachata Congress in 2013, looks back on the aspects he hadn’t expected before becoming a competitor himself, saying, “I was surprised by all the options! As a amateur, I loved how many options and opportunities I had to chose from and compete in. Pro-ams/Am-Ams, different genres of dance, teams/solos/couples, etc. There was so many categories, which made it ideal for amateurs to explore and grow.
Another thing that surprised me was the level of talent. I knew there were talented dancers in the scene, but when I started competing in 2013, I was blown away by just how many talented dancers there really were. It was so inspiring!”
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Ready to show off your skills and take your dancing to the next level? Register to compete at the Tri-State Dance Festival!
Our two-day competitive event features nearly 70 categories for competitors, in genres including Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, and Latin Hustle across Amateur, Open, and Pro-Am divisions.