The Yuletide Ball Championships December 30th and 31st 2011

The JW Marriott in DC hosted the Yuletide Ball with Ron Bennett and new co-owners Garry Gekhman & Irina Sarukanyan. Garry could not have been more hospitable and gracious. What an easy process we had with paperwork and general assistance. Job well done guys...THANKS! Congratulations to Dian, Patty, Karen, & Karl for great job dancing! StudioDNA winners...always! Patty & Karl decided to enter, at last minute with John's guidance, a Tango. We are so proud of them! Way to go new team couple!!!!

We got the Hotel on Thursday evening to practice and wake up the next morning at 5:30 AM for hair, make-up, and practice before we hit the floor at 8:00 AM for the Rhythm dances. We rested afterwards and prepared to dance again the next day at 1:00 PM in the Smooth division. DC was hopping with excitement and the hotel was filled with smiles and JOY for the Holidays and the Yuletide dance comp.

John & Michelle wish to extend a warm and special thank you to Jerry & Shirley (Dian's husband and mother) and Michael (Michelle's husband) for coming to support us and cheer us on. Thank you so very much to all of you who could not make it but sent us your well wishes and love. We appreciate your love and support! Once again we danced with personal goals in mind and the biggest competition was within ourselves. If we were also given a placement 3rd or higher that was awesome, but internal goals far out weigh the external recognition from those around us. Don't get me wrong, a 1st place ROCKS and having others say "You are FABULOUS" always creates a great feeling of satisfaction. But, when it is all said and done, you need to have personal goals to continue doing the kind of dance we do for competition.....hard core "work dance". It is NOT easy! We dance because we can! We dance because we enjoy it! We dance because it reminds us that we are more than our everyday selves, we are divas and superstars on the floor!

Dian: 3rd Place: silver Foxtrot 5th Place: Viennese Waltz & Tango

Karen: 2nd Place: Hustle & Salsa 3rd Place: Swing 4th Place: Rumba & Cha Cha

Karl: 1st Place: Hustle 3rd Place: Salsa 4th Place: Rumba, Waltz, Tango, & Foxtrot

Patty: 1st Place: Samba, Hustle, West Coast, & Salsa 3rd Place: silver Waltz 6th Place: Rumba 7th Place: Tango & Foxtrot

Patty & Karl: 4th Place: Tango