Dancing with the Stars In My Own Backyard!!!

Thursday night Justina (my roommate, for those who don't know), had a ballroom dance competition she performed in. She does rhythm I believe, which incorporates I think 6 or 7 different kinds of dances. Maybe just five. Anyway, so the second class was over at 9:25pm, Kevin and I high-tailed it to the Hilton at LAX for her 9:45 performance. After having to park in a $20 parking spot and paying $30 a person to get in (and they didn't allow credit cards, so we had to make a time-consuming detour to the ATM), we rushed into the ballroom just in time to see the last minute or so of Justina's dance. Its actually several couples all in the same division that perform at the same time, and are judged separately. Justina's partner's name is Tom I think, and he is a professional, but Justina is amateur, so they compete in the amateur division. But let me tell you, they are really, really good. It's quite amazing.
That's the flier for the competition. The following videos are just to give you a taste of what she does, which is awesome.
Here is a couple doing the Rumba (these are show dances, so it's just one couple)

And here is Justina's favorite couple, Yulia and Maxim, doing the dance they performed at the competition she competed in in Ohio last November...

And here is one of her favorite couple that I like a little better, mostly because she isn't wearing a chicken outfit.


Speaking of outfits, that was a very "interesting" part of the evening. Kevin and I talked about the outfits to discern between couples. There was the "ostrich", the "seaweed", the "flamingo", the "tassel", and a bunch of other terrible ones. Being scantily clad isn't necessary for the sport, but you know how it is. Maybe.


I'll post more later, about my Geology camping trip, when I get the cord to put all the pictures I took onto my computer. And let me tell you, there were lots of pictures.

P.S. Since there is a random video in there of Carmina Burana (even though I'm pretty sure I deleted it when I first put it in there, and now it won't go away...) let me tell you about that.
Our choir, plus the university choir (we're the 49er chorus, woot.) and the Camarado Singers (?), plus the entrance of a tiny children's choir from some (possibly Catholic??) school in LA, accompanied by the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, performed Carl Orf's "Carmina Burana-- Cantonines Profanae" or, Profane Songs. The directors kept joking that we were singing an hour and 5 minutes of sex, drugs, and rock&roll. It was more like frivolity, ale, and...singing...
In any case, it was a huge hit (I threw in the video so you could hear a bit of what it sounds like in case you've never heard it, but the video is not of us).
It was the first time in the history of performances in that theatre and in the history of the LB Symphony Orchestra that it was completely live, that is, no audio enhancement whatsoever. Basically, it was really loud. But it was amazing, and we got a REAL standing ovation, not the fake one your parents give just cause their so proud of their kids for making an effort, but a real, live, everyone-pops-out-of-their-seats-the-second-the-director-cuts-us-off kind of standing ovation. It was an amazing feeling to sing that song, although it wasn't amazing to be standing for 6 hours in a claustrophobic and acrophobic (for me, at the top of the platform with my back to a 15-ft drop with nothing but a wobbly rail to hold me up should I fall) situation practicing all 20-something movements of it. But the performance was nice :D