Day 1: Great news for Saturday dancing with NS Ballroom! Sheila McCorry made an impact on everybody with her solo, Edelweiss waltz. We had an amazing time together! Now we are heading out for wine and chocolate:) Cheers!
Celebrating News, Accomplishments,
and All Things Dance!
Seattle Star Ball 2015
The Sun is up and the Blue Angels are in town but who cares, Seattle Star Ball is here! NS Ballroom had another great year at the Sea-Tac Hilton and we are here to give the scoop on what happened.
This year, Bellingham was represented by Sandy Pratt, Karen Lauckhardt, Laura Margineanu, Cindy Sofka, Linda Kaser, Rod Topel, Cynthia Hill and the Bellingham (super) Stars! First impression was the surprise new format of mixing the Bronze and Silver levels of dance. This condensed many of the dancers into the ballroom at the same time. I felt the energy was maintained well but I wonder what the judges thought . . .
As usual the freestyle dances were held in the afternoon on Friday the 31st and veteran competitors Linda and Karen gave us quite a show consistently placing first of second in all categories. At one point Linda and Nathan had to dance 8 dances in a row! No easy task.
Newcomers Sandy, Laura, and Cynthia all showed well and managed to smile at all the right moments. Check out the great picture above. Nice heel lead, Sandy! Laura was complemented on her Tango face and how much drama she evoked.
After the dancing we all made it over to Irina's Fashions and tried on some dresses, or should I say works of art. Truly, I've never see better dress making skills and design than those of Irina. Check out some examples here.
We all skipped out Saturday for various reasons but Sunday was all Cindy. As the only one who decided to show off her Rhythm skills she got the whole day to herself. This is her second showing at the SSB and what an improvement! So much more confidence and showmanship. Great work, Cindi!
As the only guy competing, Rod was the man to watch. After working so hard all year to be prepared for this event I have to say that the awareness and presence was exactly what I was hoping would come out.
It is so difficult to march onto that floor and I hope someday to share that with everyone. Cheers to the dancers for their bravery and well honed skills. Let's congratulate them all on the accomplishments achieved this year!
~
Rounding out 2013!
Nathan & Mireille continue to shine in October:
They won the RS Smooth Championship at the Autumn Dance Classic in San Francisco and later wowed the dancers of the Verve Ballroom in Lynnwood, WA with an elegant and dynamic professional show.
NS Ballroom Dancers Rod and Brenda Topel lit up the dance floor in the Verve student showcase! Also featured were the Bellingham Stars, Bellingham's own Ballroom dance troupe for kids and teens, run by Nathan's sister, Mary Evans.
Seattle in the Summer
Nathan's students made a wonderful impression at the Seattle Star Ball. Bobbie danced an elegant Waltz choreography and Sheila danced an emotive and poignant solo. Karen rocked the Rhythm on Sunday, Linda was the 9-dance star, dancing both Rhythm and Smooth, and Toni Simler (aka Nathan's mom) made her dance debut! To round out the weekend, Nathan and Mireille won the RS Pro Smooth title, and took a close 2nd in the Open Professional Smooth.
Dispatches from the International Grand Ball in July
Updates on Nathan's Professional Results:
July was Nathan and Mireille's time to shine! They won the RS Smooth title at San Francisco's International Grand Ball, and were finalists in the open. Both events were out of a Semi-Final.
San Diego and June were the right combination for Nathan and Mireille, who took 2nd place in the RS Pro Smooth, and then 6th in the Open Professional (out of a quarterfinal!)
In March, Nathan and Mireille graced the dance floor of the Vancouver Open and were rewarded with 2nd place in the Open Professional Smooth!
April has brought great results as well, where they waltzed into 3rd place at the San Francisco Open RS Professional Smooth! They are pleased with these fantastic results, and will have more results soon for April and May!
View Nathan at competition here (scroll through to 2:12 to see the Semi-Final round of the RS Smooth. Mireille is wearing the lavender dress).
In
Nashville Starz
January 16th-19th, 2013
Dispatches from the Ballroom
2012 Pro competition run down:
Hawaii Star Ball: Fun in the Sun
Hawaii Star Ball: A Triumphant Professional Return
Two years after my last professional competition, I am very happy to announce that my new partner, Mireille, and I have taken first place in a contested even at the annual Hawaii Star Ball. This is our debut comp. and it's nice to know that all the hard work and airmiles were put to good use. Thanks everyone for your patience and support, none more so than my wife, Azita. I love you and We Did It!
and All Things Dance!
Seattle Star Ball 2015
The Sun is up and the Blue Angels are in town but who cares, Seattle Star Ball is here! NS Ballroom had another great year at the Sea-Tac Hilton and we are here to give the scoop on what happened.
This year, Bellingham was represented by Sandy Pratt, Karen Lauckhardt, Laura Margineanu, Cindy Sofka, Linda Kaser, Rod Topel, Cynthia Hill and the Bellingham (super) Stars! First impression was the surprise new format of mixing the Bronze and Silver levels of dance. This condensed many of the dancers into the ballroom at the same time. I felt the energy was maintained well but I wonder what the judges thought . . .
As usual the freestyle dances were held in the afternoon on Friday the 31st and veteran competitors Linda and Karen gave us quite a show consistently placing first of second in all categories. At one point Linda and Nathan had to dance 8 dances in a row! No easy task.
Newcomers Sandy, Laura, and Cynthia all showed well and managed to smile at all the right moments. Check out the great picture above. Nice heel lead, Sandy! Laura was complemented on her Tango face and how much drama she evoked.
After the dancing we all made it over to Irina's Fashions and tried on some dresses, or should I say works of art. Truly, I've never see better dress making skills and design than those of Irina. Check out some examples here.
We all skipped out Saturday for various reasons but Sunday was all Cindy. As the only one who decided to show off her Rhythm skills she got the whole day to herself. This is her second showing at the SSB and what an improvement! So much more confidence and showmanship. Great work, Cindi!
As the only guy competing, Rod was the man to watch. After working so hard all year to be prepared for this event I have to say that the awareness and presence was exactly what I was hoping would come out.
It is so difficult to march onto that floor and I hope someday to share that with everyone. Cheers to the dancers for their bravery and well honed skills. Let's congratulate them all on the accomplishments achieved this year!
~
Rounding out 2013!
Nathan & Mireille continue to shine in October:
They won the RS Smooth Championship at the Autumn Dance Classic in San Francisco and later wowed the dancers of the Verve Ballroom in Lynnwood, WA with an elegant and dynamic professional show.
NS Ballroom Dancers Rod and Brenda Topel lit up the dance floor in the Verve student showcase! Also featured were the Bellingham Stars, Bellingham's own Ballroom dance troupe for kids and teens, run by Nathan's sister, Mary Evans.
Seattle in the Summer
Nathan's students made a wonderful impression at the Seattle Star Ball. Bobbie danced an elegant Waltz choreography and Sheila danced an emotive and poignant solo. Karen rocked the Rhythm on Sunday, Linda was the 9-dance star, dancing both Rhythm and Smooth, and Toni Simler (aka Nathan's mom) made her dance debut! To round out the weekend, Nathan and Mireille won the RS Pro Smooth title, and took a close 2nd in the Open Professional Smooth.
Dispatches from the International Grand Ball in July
-
Day 2: Quickstep amidst 16 people (8 couples) is not an easy thing but it sure is fun! Sue Hamann and I had to make a few moves up to get around the press. We managed :)
-
Some very big congratulations go out to Sheila McCorry and Sue Hamann for their performances this weekend at IGB (International Grand Ball) in San Francisco. I am very proud to have them both as partners in this world of dance and feel lucky each time we walk on the floor together. Hats off to both of you!
Updates on Nathan's Professional Results:
July was Nathan and Mireille's time to shine! They won the RS Smooth title at San Francisco's International Grand Ball, and were finalists in the open. Both events were out of a Semi-Final.
San Diego and June were the right combination for Nathan and Mireille, who took 2nd place in the RS Pro Smooth, and then 6th in the Open Professional (out of a quarterfinal!)
In March, Nathan and Mireille graced the dance floor of the Vancouver Open and were rewarded with 2nd place in the Open Professional Smooth!
April has brought great results as well, where they waltzed into 3rd place at the San Francisco Open RS Professional Smooth! They are pleased with these fantastic results, and will have more results soon for April and May!
View Nathan at competition here (scroll through to 2:12 to see the Semi-Final round of the RS Smooth. Mireille is wearing the lavender dress).
In
Nashville Starz
January 16th-19th, 2013
Dispatches from the Ballroom
1/17/2013 Let me just say Nashville, TN is cold! That being said we are having a blast inside cha cha-ing, rumba-ing, swinging, bolero-ing, & mambo-ing. I even came from a party where some singing was heard!
Linda Kaser had a day to challenge any level of dancer and came out swinging. Making the cut from huge heats (I think the
re was 17 couples on the floor at one time!) and making very proud!
re was 17 couples on the floor at one time!) and making very proud! Tomorrow we tackle Smooth so stay tuned!
1/18/13 Who would have guessed that Nashville StarZ has the toughest Smooth and Rhythm divisions out there? Linda Kaser, with support from her wonderful husband Ric Kaser, danced her shoes off! (Almost literally!) despite the tough competition she took 3rd place in the DVIDA scholarship! Alright!
Thank you goes out to her and Ric for coming to this great city. I highly recommend it for competitions & vacations even if you are not a dancer or country music lover. My one complaint is that the invigilating of the rules could have been more strictly followed.
1/19/13 Pro Rising Star Smooth result is in. Your teacher from Bellingham placed 4th out of a 16 couple quarter final!
1/18/13 Who would have guessed that Nashville StarZ has the toughest Smooth and Rhythm divisions out there? Linda Kaser, with support from her wonderful husband Ric Kaser, danced her shoes off! (Almost literally!) despite the tough competition she took 3rd place in the DVIDA scholarship! Alright!
Thank you goes out to her and Ric for coming to this great city. I highly recommend it for competitions & vacations even if you are not a dancer or country music lover. My one complaint is that the invigilating of the rules could have been more strictly followed.
1/19/13 Pro Rising Star Smooth result is in. Your teacher from Bellingham placed 4th out of a 16 couple quarter final!
2012 Pro competition run down:
September 2012 marked the first competition for Mireille and I as a professional partnership. We were fortunate enough to win our first time out, and the rest of 2012 was filled with great results too!
Orange County Dancesport Challenge -
Pro RS Smooth Finalists
Autumn Classic - Pro RS Smooth Finalists and Open Semi-Finalists
Hollywood Dancesport -Pro RS Smooth Finalists and Open Semi-Finalists
Pro RS Smooth Finalists
Autumn Classic - Pro RS Smooth Finalists and Open Semi-Finalists
Hollywood Dancesport -Pro RS Smooth Finalists and Open Semi-Finalists
Hawaii Star Ball: Fun in the Sun
Hawaii
Star Ball is less of a competition and more of an experience! The first
day Carol Ann and Karen Lauckhardt kicked some a** on the floor and the
judges noticed. Carol Ann had two styles to represent, Smooth &
Latin, with some serious competition against her. She managed all 1st
and dukes it out for 2nd and 3rd's in Latin. Which is really cool
because she thought she did horribly! This just g
oes to show that even at her worst she still looks pretty dang good!
Karen was a superstar sweeping all 1st in the freestyles and 2nd overall
in the Open Scholarship Smooth! People who don't even know her were
calling out our number and her name in encouragement!
Later on that night we were treated to one of the best shows I have ever
seen in the ballroom world put on by Three time undefeated United
States Champions Slawek Sochacki & Marzena Stachura. No lifts. No
tricks. No Dancing With the Stars. Just classic Smooth dance done right.
I went away inspired.
Last
day of Hawaii competition. You guessed it, a very nice showing in the
rhythm style. I think rhythm is the most popular Pro/Am division which
makes it that much harder to be competitive. That's what makes Karen
& Carol Ann so special. They walk in and managed to take the first
place slot more than any other result! Each had to out dance a minimum
of three other ladies on that floor and out dance they did. We have all
first for Karen and a mixed bag of first through third for Carol Ann,
the majority being first. Thank you, Ladies for joining me on this great
trip to the Hawaiian Isles! See you here next year, yes?
Hawaii Star Ball: A Triumphant Professional Return
Two years after my last professional competition, I am very happy to announce that my new partner, Mireille, and I have taken first place in a contested even at the annual Hawaii Star Ball. This is our debut comp. and it's nice to know that all the hard work and airmiles were put to good use. Thanks everyone for your patience and support, none more so than my wife, Azita. I love you and We Did It!
Testimonials and News
"Just the Best"
Nothing beats lessons from a Pro. Although he is nationally known and rated, Nathan is accessible as an instructor; valuable to both the beginner and the aspiring competitor. He is also understanding of any limitations of the student. No complaints at all.
"Nathan Simler ~ Awesome Dance Instructor!"
"Awesome Guy"
Nothing beats lessons from a Pro. Although he is nationally known and rated, Nathan is accessible as an instructor; valuable to both the beginner and the aspiring competitor. He is also understanding of any limitations of the student. No complaints at all.
Jeannie C.
"Nathan Simler ~ Awesome Dance Instructor!"
Nathan Simler is a priceless treasure for those from inexperienced to the professional dance level. He takes the utmost care to give the best possible tips for each person he teaches. He has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend his business to anyone who is serious about learning new dance steps, wants to stay in shape, or wants to do something new/different. He is a Dance Instructor Extraordinaire!
Jill Estvold
Jill Estvold
"Awesome Guy"
Wonderful instructor and genuinely nice guy!
Peter E.
Peter E.
"The BEST dance instructor I've had"
and I've had 3 total to compare. Nathan is a wonderful instructor for beginners and advanced students. He is very skilled in finding a place where he is challanging you and yet not overwhelming you. His lessons are very fun and you definetly get the bang for your buck every time! I really hope that if your looking for a dance instructor, you will choose Nathan. You wont regret it! Although I have to warn you - every teacher you have after him will seem lame in comparison!
Cindy L.
Nate always pushes me to achieve my personal best, with an uncanny blend of professionalism and fun. No matter how hard I work, Nate reminds me to smile. And no matter how hard something is, Nate presents it in a way that is concise and clear. If one explanation does not work, he will find twenty more until something clicks. Because of this, he can work with almost any kind of learner and take any dancer beyond his or her limits." Adella Thompson, Bellingham, WA
and I've had 3 total to compare. Nathan is a wonderful instructor for beginners and advanced students. He is very skilled in finding a place where he is challanging you and yet not overwhelming you. His lessons are very fun and you definetly get the bang for your buck every time! I really hope that if your looking for a dance instructor, you will choose Nathan. You wont regret it! Although I have to warn you - every teacher you have after him will seem lame in comparison!
Cindy L.
Nate always pushes me to achieve my personal best, with an uncanny blend of professionalism and fun. No matter how hard I work, Nate reminds me to smile. And no matter how hard something is, Nate presents it in a way that is concise and clear. If one explanation does not work, he will find twenty more until something clicks. Because of this, he can work with almost any kind of learner and take any dancer beyond his or her limits." Adella Thompson, Bellingham, WA
"Wonderful Instructor"
When I made the decision to follow a dream of mine to learn to dance, I was concerned about the availability of studios and qualified teachers in our small community. Then, I found Nathan Simler.
Nathan is highly qualified, and very skilled. His teaching method is comfortable and precise. It is obvious to me that he enjoys what he does very much. Nathan has the patience of a saint, yet he never lets you get away with anything. (This is an important quality in a teacher, in my opinion.) He's observant to a fault, and no detail escapes him. He not only wants you to dance well, he makes you want to dance well. Nathan also has a very warm personality, and yes....he can take a joke. Our community is lucky to have him.
S. H.
Hi Nathan, congrats on your fantastic results on the last competitions. Diane told us that you and Lecie were amazing at the Florida competition. I know you will do great in the next one. We just received our DVIDA results and we are very pleased with the results. I just want to thank you for your help and support and to let you know that I could not have done so well without you. You are really an amazing instructor, dancer and person. I am so lucky to know you. So thanks again. My best to Azita and hope to see you both next year. Love,
Annisa Instructor, Eugene Joseph Dance Theatre. Trinidad and Tobago
"Superior and Sensitive Dance Instruction"
Thanks from Latin Student Union of WWU – Nathan and Lecie were featured performers for the 4th Annual Latin Heritage Dinner
Azita, Thank you so much for connecting me with Nathan and Lecie! I got rave reviews from everyone at the dinner. Everyone was blown away by their performance! Could you please forward my thanks on to them? We will definitely keep you in mind for next year's performance. Maybe we could have them perform some of their other dances. Once again, thank you so much! The whole night was a success! Thank you, Holly Vanderlinda Latin Student Union of WWU
