If you’ve stepped foot in our studio at any time after 4:00 on a weekday, then you know we have a ton of kids quickstepping or jiving away on our dance floor. Spreading the joy of dancing to children has been an important and integral part of our dance studio from day one, and we truly believe our youth program lends a positive energy to the community. So for this month’s Student Spotlight, we decided to focus on one of our younger dancers, an up-and-coming preteen competitor named Leo Liu.
Leo and Nicky dancing the Paso Doble at the Pacific Grand Ball last September.
No doubt you may have noticed Leo around the studio. With his big round glasses and his polar-bear face mask, Leo just might be one of the cutest kids on the dance floor! But beneath that cute exterior lurks a determined and competitive character, one that is hard-set on becoming a national champion. We wanted to shine a spotlight on our little competitor, so we got to know him a bit better.
For all of his eleven years, Leo has had an interesting life! Though he was born to Chinese parents, he actually calls Finland his country of birth, and he lived there for the first four years of his life. He used to speak Finnish, but he can’t remember anything anymore. After leaving Finland, he and his family first moved to San Diego, then up to Redmond. In addition to speaking English, he can also understand Chinese and is studying to improve his speaking capabilities.
When he was 6 years old, nearly 7 – “about 6 2/3 years old,” Leo specifies – he started ballroom dancing. “But I didn’t get my first shoes until one month after I started,” he added. “They were from Amazon.” Ah yes, Amazon does sell ballroom dance shoes. Not the best brands, but certainly good enough for your first pair. Leo continued, “My mom actually wanted me to dance and I wasn’t very interested. Now, I’ve definitely learned that it is super fun and exciting and I don’t regret it one bit.”
Leo and Nicky holding their trophies at National Championships in 2019
Leo is a hard worker. Every time the expectations are raised on him, he responds to the challenge. This hard-working attitude paid off for Leo. They were Preteen Syllabus Champions in 2019, and in 2020 they competed in the Preteen Championship categories, placing third in the Preteen Championship Standard! That competition was especially difficult, because the Thursday they danced was the day the lockdowns began. The entire competition was cancelled on the spot, but the governor of Utah allowed the competition to finish whatever events they had on that day. Not all of the competitors made it on time, and some of the Preteen events lasted until 2am!
This year, National Championships was moved to Orlando, FL. Leo and his partner Nicky travelled cross-country to compete in Orlando and ended up finishing 6th in the highly contested Preteen Championship Standard. National finalists two years in a row… and through a pandemic!
“I have two favorite things about dancing,” says Leo. “My first one is the sense of accomplishment that you get when you do well.” His eyes light up when he talks about his results. “It feels so epic when you do well in a competition!”
And the second?
“You meet new friends along the way. I’ve met so many new people since I started. I love dancing because I make new friends everywhere!! I just love cheering on my friends during competitions.” He paused, remembering back on one of the most recent competitions he and Nicky attended: the Pacific Grand Ball in San Francisco. Then he added with a laugh, “At Pacific Grand Ball, I yelled so much that a guy next to me turned and said ‘stop’.”
He also has a favorite dance. “My favorite dance (and probably my worst dance in Standard) is Quickstep. I love the music and it’s all very fun to me.”
Though ballroom dancing is fun, it has its own set of challenges. Leo speculated on the most difficult things he has encountered in his dancing.
“The hardest thing about dancing, in my opinion, is getting rid of bad habits. I have at least 5 that I can name and I kind of fixed one of them.”
That’s something we can all relate with. It’s refreshing to know that all of us, from our youngest competitors to our oldest social students, those who dance for fun and those who dance as a profession, can rattle off a half-dozen bad habits just off the top of our head. Don’t worry, Leo, you’re in good company.
“Another thing is getting physically stronger,” he continued. “I mean, I don’t benchpress 100 pounds everyday or anything, so I’m kinda like, not very good at that part.”
Being a competitive dancer is physically demanding, and your prowess and strength are important. Leo is starting to learn, as he climbs the ranks, how important his fitness actually is to the success of his dancing. But Leo is a perfect example of why ballroom dancing is so important for kids. They learn, early on, that to be successful at something requires commitment, focus, and determination. And, as they say, you’ve got to get some skin in the game.
Leo and Nicky dancing the Tango at the Pacific Grand Ball in September
We asked Leo what his goals are.
“My goal is to beat Sean Ginko and Michael Novikov in Latin,” he replied, referencing two of his fellow preteen competitors. Starting to see a hint of that competitiveness we warned you about? “I beat them in Standard, why not in Latin?”
What about long-term goals? With so much success at such a young age, is there a place in the world of professional ballroom dancing for Leo?
“I do see myself dancing professionally,” Leo said. “But my mom says it’s just a hobby.”
Ah well, we’ll just have to see how that goes. For now, Leo can keep working hard and improving. Next year marks a huge milestone for Leo and Nicky, as they will both turn 12 and will age out of their Preteen category. Once they enter the Junior age category, the ballgame changes entirely. Though, based on how Leo has approached his dancing for the last four years, he shouldn’t have any trouble meeting the challenges of dancing in the Junior age category.
Good luck, Leo. We’ll be cheering you on!
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