No matter what level dancer you are, your nerves will arrive at your dance event, without fail.
Yes, it's true, those prickly, achy, feelings that keep you up at night serve a purpose. They the gateway to improved confidence.
Let's call those "Healthy Nerves".
Unhealthy nerves are those that are brought on by extreme speculation, panic, and wild conspiracy theories. We even wrote an article about that, just in case you missed it. One example of that is based on the judging panel. Who they are, what they are going while you're dancing, and every other unhealthy nerve related manifestation.
To eliminate that, we decided to give you a quick introduction to the judging panel. You know, the people that are there to watch you, offer feedback, and help you improve your dancing.
Meet Your Arthur Murray District Showcase Judges
Emily Bergman
Emily first stepped foot on the dance floor when she was two years old. She pursued ballet until she fell into the ballroom world at 19. At 24 she became one of the youngest people to be awarded an Arthur Murray franchise and she bought a one-way ticket from Rochester, New York to Orlando, Florida to open her first AM dance studio in Winter Park, Florida. Since then she has competed professionally all over the country, owned and operated several studios, and won many prestigious awards from corporate headquarters. For Emily, being able to change lives through ballroom dance has been a dream come true.
Tonia Kosovich
Tonia Kosovich began her AM career in 2005 as a traveling consultant, but her dance career took off much earlier than that. Born in Australia, this dancing world traveler made her mark as a competitive Latin Dancer in worldwide competitions, most notably, Blackpool where she and her partner were semifinalists. She and her partner were also featured dancers in the first ever installment of Burn the Floor. Today, Tonia has moved to Northern California and is now on the management team at the Livermore Studio.
Read More about Tonia Kosovich:
Emmanuel Pierre Antoine
Emmanuel came to the United States from Haiti with a dream to make an impact on the dance world. With an insatiable appetite for dance theory, style, and technique across all styles; Emmanuel has shaped a unique style without losing his charisma and passion in the process. In 2008 he had a tryout with Liana Churliova and things clicked. This was his first partner after having danced with Julia Powers in 2007. Today Emmanuel is a two time United States Champion. He's made quite an impact, and he's not done yet.
Read More about Emmanuel:
Tommy Belmontez
Tommy has come a long way since his early days at the AM Dance studio in Redlands, Ca. The path that began as a teacher has evolved into that of a highly sought after traveling consultant, franchisee, and an award winning dance career. Tommy, and his dance partner Jessica Holty, said goodbye to their competitive dance partnership at the Unique Dance-O-Rama® last summer, but to Tommy - that's just the beginning of a new evolution.
Read More about Tommy Belmontez:
Liana Churliova
Liana began as a youth dancer in Russia when she was 6. Studying both the international Latin and Standard, she excelled, and eventually moved to the United States when she was 17. It was there that she met her current partner, Emmanuel Pierre Antoine. Within three months, the pair were competing in their first competition together at the Superama in New Orleans. The year was 2008. Fast forward six years ascending the national ranks, and the pair won their first United States title in 2014. They won again in 2015, and are now entrenched as the favorites to win moving forward. After seeing their show, they may do the same thing as featured performers at the District Showcase.
Read More about Liana Churliova:
Mario Orneales
Mario began dancing when he was 12 years old in a cotillion program in Santa Barbara, California. Mario started with Arthur Murray in 1995 and became a Certified Adjudicator & Professional Examiner in 2000. In the summer of 2000, Mario, and his wife Vanessa, took some time away from the business to start a family. Today they reside in Reno, have three sons, and are the franchisees of the AM Reno studio.
Bobby Gonzalez
Bobby Gonzalez is no stranger to the District Showcase, having worked in the Hayward, Carmichael, and San Jose studios as a teacher, executive, manager, and every other school as a traveling consultant. He began his career at an Arthur Murray in Ohio at the end of the disco era, and has gone on to become a highly sought after influencer within the company. As a member of the dance board, the author of the AM Salsa syllabus, a competitive dancer, trainer, and mentor to many professionals - Bobby could be the chancellor of the District Showcase.
Read More about Bobby Gonzalez:
Gabriela Young
Gabriela has spent the majority of her dance life as a traveling dance consultant for AM Dance Studios. Her dance journey has spanned three continents, and she has achieved some incredible results as a competitive dancer including the Rising Star championship in both the International Latin and American Rhythm styles, and finishing as a semi-finalist in Blackpool. She makes her home in West Hollywood and is now the co-owner of the AMDS in Santa Monica, California. Every day Gabriela sets foot on the dance floor she brings a passion for teaching, and a love for dancing.
Final Thought
Nerves are a good thing. In fact, each time you felt nervous about something dance related, it probably led to something better. It means that you care, and that you're excited.
Unhealthy nerves just need someone to talk to. When communication goes down, speculation goes up, and that's what the "Unhealthy nerves" feed on. So talk to your teacher, ask questions, and don't let a case of the nerves stop you from seeing a windfall of dance confidence as a result of this dance event.
Did You Miss the District Showcase? Want to Prepare for the Next One?
