She could have danced all night, but it didn't take that long for Carol Laimer to win four gold medals and 12 first-place finishes in the open eastern championship ballroom dance competition at Blue Mountain June 21-23.
The Collingwood resident, who started competing in ballroom dance this year, has now qualified for national competition in Gatineau on Aug. 23-25.
Though she has been athletic and active all her life, Laimer didn't start ballroom dancing until she turned 50, and didn't start competing until she turned 63 years old.
"First, I started because it's a passion, and then I thought, 'yeah, I wouldn't mind going competitive,'" said Laimer.
She began ballroom dancing at Toronto clubs. She and her husband, who is an internationally certified ballroom dance instructor, moved to Collingwood about a year and a half ago and started their own ballroom dance school out of Nottawa Hall called Silhouette Ballroom.
While Laimer wanted to compete in dance soon after she started, it was hard to find a partner with the same goal. This year, however, was it for Laimer, who tracked down a dance coach who also worked as a professional partner and she set her sights on the pro-am stream of ballroom competition. In this category, her dancing is judged, but her partner is not.
She has hired Igor Fylymonchyk, an internationally competitive dancer in his time who now trains competitors in Concord, Ont. Laimer drives there twice a week for lessons.
In Blue Mountain, they danced the Rhumba, Samba and Cha Cha in the Latin category, and the Waltz, Tango and Foxtrot in the ballroom category. For nationals, she'll add the Quickstep, Jive, and Paso Doble. She has trouble picking a favourite.
"It doesn't matter what dance you do, there's always some sort of music that you're on cloud nine with it," she said, adding she does love the Rhumba and the Foxtrot.
Laimer trains twice a week with her partner, another two or three times a week with her husband, and adds cross-training (a lot of cardio) into the mix in preparation for a competition. She works hard to make her dancing look effortless.
"First, you're nervous, but then you feel and feed off the energy of your partner," said Laimer about dancing in competition. "Suddenly you're cementing together and there's this glorious music and if you listen really hard to it and really are united with your partner, you will float with it. It's a very euphoric experience."
She's hoping more people will get to feel a little of that euphoria, which is why she and her husband have started their local dance school and have a goal of creating a non-profit ballroom dance club in Collingwood.
The school currently includes beginner to intermediate members aged 30 to 85 years old, with only Laimer and her husband as advanced dancers. The school will continue through the summer with once a week sessions, and twice a week starting in the fall.
"It's coming along," said Laimer, who laments a lack of air conditioning at Nottawa Hall, since dancing can work up a good sweat. "
Ideally, Laimer would like to see ballroom dance considered if Collingwood builds an arts or recreation centre.
Students at Silhouette will learn the 10 ballroom dances, plus salsa and some line dancing.
"You get a really lovely variety because the goal is, we want people to learn how to dance," said Laimer.
To find out more about Silhouette Ballroom school or to sign up for classes, visit their Facebook page here.
Watch Laimer competing at Blue Mountain in the video below:
Laimer's results at Blue Mountain were as follows:
Ballroom
- 3 firsts in single dance Open Bronze - Waltz, Foxtrot & Tango - Senior E Division
- 3 firsts in single dance Open Silver - Waltz, Foxtrot & Tango - Senior E Division
- 1 Gold Medal - 3 Dance (Waltz, Foxtrot & Tango) - Open Bronze - Senior E Division
- 1 Gold Medal - 3 Dance (Waltz, Foxtrot & Tango) - Open Silver - Senior E Division
Latin
- 3 firsts in single dance Open Bronze - Rumba, Samba & Cha Cha - Senior E Division
- 3 firsts in single dance Open Silver - Rumba, Samba & Cha Cha - Senior E Division
- 1 Gold Medal - 3 Dance (Rumba, Samba & Cha Chao) - Open Bronze - Senior E Division
- 1 Gold Medal - 3 Dance (Rumba, Samba & Cha Cha) - Open Silver - Senior E Division
