Cat & Lee place 2nd in Semi-Pro debut

Lee Jenkins and Catalina Verjan continued an impressive run of Salsa competition results in 2023, placing 2nd in the Semi-Pro Salsa couples division in their first season competing at that level.

The result followed their 2nd-place finish in the Amateur Salsa couples division the previous year, making their move into Semi-Pro especially rewarding for everyone involved in their coaching.

Progressing from Amateur to Semi-Pro Salsa

Moving into a higher competition division brings a new challenge. Dancers are expected to keep developing their Salsa technique and partnership while presenting choreography with greater confidence, control and performance quality.

Lee and Catalina have consistently stood out for their ambition and work ethic. Their improvement over a relatively short period was one of the reasons we were so proud to see them step onto the floor in Semi-Pro and achieve another podium result.

Why competition training is about progression

A placing is an exciting milestone, but competition coaching is also about giving dancers a clear reason to refine the details of their dancing. Preparing a routine creates measurable goals around timing, technique, connection, choreography and presentation, while competition day provides the opportunity to put that work under pressure.

For dancers who enjoy structured goals, that process can become a powerful part of their development. Lee and Catalina’s progression from the Amateur division to a 2nd-place Semi-Pro debut was a wonderful example.

Congratulations to Lee and Catalina on another well-earned result and, most importantly, on the work and improvement behind it.

This article records a 2023 competition result and is retained as part of our studio history.

When 2nd feels like winning a championship

Some competition results mean more than the number beside your name. For Team Elite Bachata Project, finishing 2nd in the professional division at the 2023 World Salsa Solo competition felt enormous.

Our Gold Coast team entered a division alongside established big-city teams that had been training and competing together at professional level for years. Many of our dancers had comparatively little competition experience, and this was our first year together as a team.

Building Team Elite Bachata Project

The group brought together Lee Jenkins and Catalina Verjan, Dani Ruibal and Chloe Rechichi, Daniel Driver and Naomi Blissett, and Doug Melrose. What made the project work was the combination of attitude, commitment and willingness to keep improving throughout rehearsals.

Team routines demand a different kind of discipline from ordinary social dancing. Every dancer needs to understand their own movement while remaining aware of timing, formation, spacing and the visual effect of the group as a whole. That requires repetition, attention to detail and trust between teammates.

Competition choreography and coaching

Kristi Hall and Kristian Stephan-Martin choreographed and coached the team, developing a Bachata routine designed to hold its own in a demanding division. The dancers committed to the rehearsal process and brought the routine to life on stage.

Finishing 2nd against experienced professional teams was an achievement we were immensely proud of. It validated the work the dancers had put in throughout the year and showed how quickly a committed Gold Coast Latin dance team could develop when everyone worked toward the same goal.

The people behind the result

The best part of the project was the team itself. Rehearsals were full of hard work, friendship and plenty of sessions that ran beyond schedule because everyone was so invested in what we were creating.

Team Elite Bachata Project was a success because of the people in it. Congratulations to every dancer and coach involved in an unforgettable first season together.

This article records Elite Latin Dance Co.’s 2023 competition season and is retained as part of our studio history.

Jhovver & Rina win 3rd place in debut

When Jhovver Duarte and Rina Tanaka approached us in late August 2023, they had an ambitious goal: create a Salsa routine and compete at World Salsa Solo in the first weekend of December. Neither had competed before, and the preparation window was about to become even tighter.

Jhovver would also be away for five weeks during September and October. On paper, it was a difficult timeline. In practice, their work ethic made the difference.

From first competition routine to the podium

We probably managed only eight or nine coaching sessions in total. That meant every private lesson had to count. We would work through as much feedback as possible in each hour, and Jhovver and Rina consistently returned to the next lesson having practised and improved what we had covered.

Competition coaching is not simply about remembering choreography. A couple also has to refine Salsa technique, timing, partnering, transitions, presentation and the small details that make a routine look confident on stage. With limited time together, their willingness to apply feedback between lessons became one of their greatest strengths.

A 3rd-place Salsa result at World Salsa Solo

Despite the compressed preparation period and their lack of previous competition experience, Jhovver and Rina made their debut at World Salsa Solo and placed 3rd.

The placing was a fantastic result, but their improvement across the project was just as rewarding to see. Their experience is a great example of what focused coaching, purposeful practice and a strong work ethic can achieve when dancers have a clear performance goal.

Competition coaching at Elite Latin Dance Co.

Elite Latin Dance Co. has worked with dancers on the Gold Coast who want to take their training beyond social dancing and prepare for performance or competition. The exact pathway depends on the dancer, the event and the time available, but targeted private coaching allows each session to focus on the areas that matter most to the routine.

Congratulations again to Jhovver and Rina on a brilliant debut, a well-earned podium result and an enormous amount of progress in a very short period.

This article records a 2023 competition result and is retained as part of our studio history.

ELDC Claims another 3rd Place at World Salsa Solo

Another Elite Latin Dance Co. team came home from the 2023 World Salsa Solo competition with a podium result, with our Amateur Bachata team placing 3rd in Brisbane.

For us, though, the story of this team was about much more than a trophy. The dancers began the project as a group of people who barely knew one another and finished the season as a close-knit team built through months of Bachata training, rehearsals and shared experiences.

A year of Bachata training and teamwork

Coached by Kristi Hall and Kristian Stephan-Martin, the team worked throughout the year to prepare a competition routine. Performance-team training requires dancers to learn choreography while also improving timing, partnering, technique, spacing, presentation and the ability to perform together as one unit.

By competition weekend, the work was visible. The team left everything on the floor and earned 3rd place in the Amateur Bachata team division at World Salsa Solo.

Building a Latin dance community on the Gold Coast

The podium finish was exciting, but the friendships created during the project were just as important. Rehearsing toward a shared goal gave the group the opportunity to grow together, support one another and become part of the wider Elite Latin Dance Co. community on the Gold Coast.

We were proud of what this team achieved both on and off the dance floor. Congratulations to every dancer who committed their time, energy and personality to the project.

This article records Elite Latin Dance Co.’s 2023 competition season and is retained as part of our studio history.

3rd Place at World Salsa Solo

Elite Latin Dance Co. celebrated a fantastic result at the 2023 World Salsa Solo competition in Brisbane, with our Amateur Bachata Shines team placing 3rd. It was a proud moment for a group that had spent the year training, improving and building confidence together.

A strong result for our Bachata Shines team

The result was rewarding, but the biggest achievement was seeing how far the team had progressed from where they started. Competition training asks dancers to develop much more than choreography: timing, musicality, technique, performance quality and the confidence to deliver a routine under pressure all have to come together on stage.

Our Amateur Bachata Shines dancers worked hard throughout the year and looked fantastic when it mattered. Their 3rd-place finish at World Salsa Solo was a wonderful way to recognise that commitment.

Celebrating our Salsa Squad too

We were also extremely proud of our Salsa Squad ladies, who delivered a clean performance in the highly competitive Amateur Salsa Shines division. Competition results are only one part of the experience, and a strong run on stage can represent months of technical development and rehearsal.

More than competition results

One of our favourite parts of coaching performance teams is watching the relationships develop away from the competition floor. Over the course of the year, these dancers built genuine camaraderie and friendships alongside their Bachata and Salsa skills.

For Elite Latin Dance Co., that combination of progress, performance and community is what makes team training so rewarding. We were incredibly proud of both groups and grateful for the memories created throughout the season.

This article records Elite Latin Dance Co.’s 2023 competition season and is retained as part of our studio history.