Student Spotlight – Rumi Okuma

For our first Student Spotlight, we wanted to shine a light on Rumi Okuma. She currently dances both International Latin and International Standard, competing in the Pro-Am division with her teacher, Atanas Malamov. Rumi, a workaholic who used to spend 70-80 hours a week at her job, unsurprisingly works hard at her dancing, showing up to practice almost every day! And her hard work and practice certainly shows. Just recently, Rumi attended the Emerald Ball, one of the largest dance competitions in the United States. She and Atanas competed in the Ladies C-Gold International Standard division, a highly competitive category, and she placed 3rd! This is such a great achievement!

What’s so amazing about Rumi is her motivation for learning how to dance in the first place. Originally from Japan, she had a “life-long fear of dogs” that she desperately wanted to cure herself of. She dreamed of being able to “live [her] life fully, with a furry friend/companion.” She started working with a therapist that specializes in those who have a fear of dogs, and this therapist suggested she try dancing. The therapist said, “Go to a nearby dance studio and sign up for lessons immediately. Don’t just think about it, take action!”

So Rumi followed her therapist’s advice and walked into a dance studio that no longer operates named DanceWorks. That fateful day was 7 years ago. “That was the beginning of my dance journey,” Rumi reminisces.

When her teacher at DanceWorks left the studio 2 years after she started dancing, she made the switch over to Aria Ballroom. It wasn’t long before she started dancing competitively. When asked why she decided to start competitive dancing, she said, “When I told my mother in Japan that I’m taking ballroom dance lessons, she told me this: ‘Whatever you do, you should excel!  I’d go for competitive dancing, and aim for making it to Top 3 in a competition!’  Her competitive nature has been my inspiration.”

Rumi remembers her first competition fondly. It was 2017, and she competed with Atanas at the Seattle Star Ball. “I was unaware of any of the completion process/logistics at that time, so I got confused to receive so many awards from single dance, before multi-dance & scholarships.  So funny if I look back those days.” Though competitive dancing comes with its set of challenges, Rumi finds the challenge inspiring. “The excitement, intensity, pure happiness & joy, living in the moment, and nothing but the dance we dance on the floor, are undeniable!

“The more I learn the dances (whether Latin or Standard), the deeper and harder I find they are.  I’d like to keep learning/practicing/improving each dance to the extend possible in my capacity, ability, and talent.  One of my future, aspirational goals is to give back to the community by learning how to lead the dances and offering free dance lessons/classes at community centers/long-term care facilities, etc., to share the joy of dance!”

That is such an amazing thing to hear! At Aria Ballroom one of the best things we could hope for in sharing our passion and love of dance is to inspire someone else to share that love as well. And it seems like that’s just what has happened with Rumi. We asked her what she likes about Aria Ballroom, and she certainly didn’t hold back.

“I love my studio so much for many reasons. First and foremost, Kora and Simeon, our principals, are the anchor of the studio, are very supportive, and make sure that all of the students are doing well, no matter what levels they’ at or what interests they have.  This is easy to say, but it requires a lot of attention, care, and efforts.  I also genuinely appreciate the excellence in teaching by the hand-picked teachers from the international arena and with very successful, professional dancing career/experiences, including my one and only coach, Atanas Malamov.

“Because (ballroom dancing) is very challenging, it doesn’t happen overnight,” she continues. “Behind the glamourous and elegant ballroom scenes with beautiful dresses/attires, there are years’ of practices, disciplines, sweat & tears, and disappointments & reemerging, etc.  The art and the sport are married over the music to make the beautiful dance, which inspires many people and gives a lot of joy to people even in their darkest moments.”

Rumi, we are so proud of you and all of your improvement. We can certainly speak for all of our instructors when we say that it has been a pleasure to work with you over the last 5 years, and we look forward to helping you continue to strive toward your dreams!

Know of someone who you think should be featured in our Student Spotlight? Let us know by sending us a message!