At the Northern California District Showcase in September 2011, Arthur Murray consultants, and ballroom champions, Urs Geisenhainer & Agnes Kaszmierczak wowed the audience in their very last professional dance performance as a competitive dance couple.
For six years the duo traveled the world representing the USA in ballroom competition. Last night, they dazzled the audience with heartfelt stories of their journey and some of the couples favorite show pieces. Initially, they had announced their retirement at the Unique Dance-O-Rama® in July, but fortunately for us, they were already scheduled to judge and perform at our showcase!
A hip twist, to be exact.
For the first time, since they've been visiting us as Arthur Murray consultants, Urs and Agnes included flashes of their Latin dance background with lunges, spins, and... heaven forbid.... hip motion.
Throughout their performances they maintained an incredible focus on each other with an occasional aside to the audience. The construction of their farewell show had even the most experienced professionals watching in awe, but the most surprising part came from an unplanned addition to the show lineup.
After back to back encore standing ovations, mixed with a slow clap or two - Urs and Agnes returned to the dance floor.
The urges for an encore, and wouldn't stop the rhythmical chanting of “URS-AND-AG-NES” over and over.
No one wanted to see them retire.
Finally, the audience wore them down and convinced they returned to perform an unplanned, and improvised number: A Latin Medley!
With the music from their final “Kiss” number, the legendary couple danced a Cha-Cha, Rumba, and Samba (there may have been a sprinkling of Jive in there too). As their music changed speeds, their bodies morphed from dance to dance.
What made it even more incredible is that it was all lead and follow - no choreography.
When it was all finished, it was the audience that was lead by Urs & Agnes down an exhilarating emotional roller-coaster celebrating their fabulous careers together.
Although they will no longer be dancing together competitively, we are so happy to have both Urs and Agnes as featured consultants in our Arthur Murray Northern California studios, and we look forward to many more exciting journeys with them. As easily as they captured the hearts of the people they danced in front of, they have just as easily become woven into the fabric of our dance studios.
Farewell to a partnership together, but we continue to welcome them in partnership with our studios.
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