Many of the attendees, when not on the dance floor, were out by the pool or relaxing on the beach. Unlike last year, the weather was fully cooperative—not a single shower fell during the event—making it not just a place to dance and be seen, but also a true vacation.
Friday night featured the best dancing of the weekend, highlighted by two exciting competitions: the Open Professional Smooth and the Open Professional Latin. These events delivered outstanding performances, thrilling moments worth recapping, and some unexpected results.
In the Open Professional Smooth, the spotlight was on a thrilling showdown between two top couples: Volodymyr Barabash & Yulia Rudenko and Leonid Burlo & Mariia Usan. From my perspective, it was a close contest—though the judges clearly saw it differently. Volodymyr & Yulia won all four dances, securing the majority of first-place marks in each. Their waltz was perhaps their weakest performance, yet even there, nine judges still placed them first. Leonid & Mariia earned a few firsts here and there, but not nearly enough to take a single dance from their rivals. From my seat in the bleachers, Volodymyr & Yulia delivered technically flawless dancing—no mistakes, no slips, just a clean, polished performance from start to finish.
On the other hand, Leonid & Mariia delivered a heartfelt performance—their style felt more natural and musically expressive than their competitors’. However, that kind of artistry isn’t always rewarded by the judges as expected. As always, it comes down to what the panel values more: technical precision or musical interpretation. In this case, the judges clearly favored consistency and faultless execution
Dmytro Pohybil & Alona Kushnir secured third place in all dances, while Vasyl Voinarovskyi & Khrystyna Voinarovska followed in fourth. Marco Dal Peso & Miriam Marie consistently placed fifth, and Juan Pablo Gutierrez & Mariana Alarcón Ruiz rounded out the final with sixth place.
In the Open Professional Latin, two outstanding couples battled for the top spot: Tal Livshitz & Ilana Keselman and Austin Joson & Liza Lakovitsky. Both delivered impressive performances, but in the end, Austin & Liza swept all the dances, earning the majority of first-place marks across the board.
For me, it was a clear win for Austin & Liza, who came out strong from the very first step and delivered a full-out performance. In contrast, Tal & Ilana—who ultimately took second overall—seemed to be holding back during the first two dances. They picked up energy in the final three, but as the saying goes, first impressions matter. This time, the judges rewarded Austin & Liza with first place across all dances.
Kostiantyn Samarskyi & Margarita Golubeva placed third in all dances, while Dmitry Barov & Sarina Wright secured fourth overall. Fifth place went to Tilemachos Fatsis & Elisavet Mantani with marks of 6, 5, 5, 5, 6. Sixth place was awarded to Anton Ivanyshyn & Hanna Lytvynovych with scores of 7, 6, 6, 6, 5. Rounding out the final in seventh were Osai Malachi & Anastasia Hrynnyk, who received marks of 5, 7, 7, 7, 7.
The Open Amateur Latin on Saturday evening was arguably the most compelling event of the night. Alexander Chernositov & Arina Grishanina dominated the field with unanimous first-place marks from all judges—an undisputed win for the top couple in this heat. Maksym Rodionov & Sophia Marriott claimed second overall with scores of 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, while Oskar Rybczynski & Daniela Koreska were close behind in third with marks of 3, 2, 3, 3, 2. Fourth place went to Ihor Horobchenko & Alina Lisova (4, 4, 4, 5, 5), fifth to Denys Nikuliak & Emma Rainyte (5, 5, 5, 5, 4), and sixth place to Marc Zhadam & Savana Filip, who placed sixth in all dances.
That same night, the Open Professional Rhythm took place, where Kevin Ubillus & Milagros Lareto won all five dances. However, unlike the previously mentioned couple, they only secured a majority of first-place marks in three dances. In both the Swing and Rumba, they still came out on top, but with just seven judges awarding them first—falling short of a full majority.
Second overall went to Danelle & Ryan Lockhart, who placed second in four dances and third in the mambo. Roger Romero & Arismel Naya finished third, taking second in the mambo and third in the remaining four dances. Vasyl Voinarovskyi & Khrystina Voinarovska placed fourth across the board. Fifth in all dances was awarded to Nikolai Voronovich & Hadas Fisher—yes, the same Voronovich who was once runner-up in the Open Professional Latin. In this heat, Nikolai looked quite comfortable at this level, while Hadas appeared a bit green in her performance. Sixth overall went to Stanislav Morozov & Angelina Evseeva with marks of 6, 6, 6, 6, 7, and seventh place was given to Sebastian Burbano & Lindsay Milan, scoring 7, 7, 7, 7, 6.
With that, the main competition concluded. Sunday was dedicated entirely to the children’s events, running from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM—a full day showcasing Florida’s growing pool of young talent in Latin and Ballroom dancing.
A big congratulations to Andrew Phillips for hosting such a fantastic event in one of the most exciting cities in the U.S.—with the sun, the beach, and world-class dancing, it was a weekend to remember.
