Whether it’s the lively after-parties or the warm, casual greetings, the Elsbury family is always exceptionally attentive, making everyone feel right at home during this action-packed two-day competition.

The Hilton Post Oak is perfectly located in an area well-known for its shopping, with one of the largest malls in the country -The Galleria - just a short distance away. But if you’re not a shopaholic like I am, the incredible gastronomy within walking distance will have you coming back year after year. 

This two-day competition truly had something for everyone. The social nightclub session on the first night was one of the best I’ve seen in a while. As always, the attention to detail was outstanding - the ballroom transformed into a festive Luau theme, setting the perfect vibe for what was, without a doubt, a real party. Studios enthusiastically supported each other as their friends strutted their stuff in dances ranging from the Hustle to the Bachata. The energy was electric, and the ballroom was packed with fun and excitement.

• Open Pro Rhythm Open Pro Rhythm
• Gene & Elena Bersten Gene & Elena Bersten
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Saturday night marked the grand conclusion of the Texas Challenge, and it delivered the best dancing of the entire two-day extravaganza. The Professional Rhythm was a six-couple final. Topping the field were Gene & Elena Bersten, who won all dances with nearly perfect scores. “Nearly” because they dropped a single mark in each dance - each one from Mr. Glenn Weiss. In this case, I have to agree with the majority: Gene & Elena stood far above the rest in experience, musicality, and style.

• Professional Cabaret (3rd place not pictured) Professional Cabaret (3rd place not pictured)
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They also competed in the Professional Cabaret Challenge, which they won with a majority of first-place marks - 7 out of 13. While there was a bit more variation among the judges here, it was still a well-deserved victory. The Cabaret event was a standout in its own right, with strong themes and impressive performances from all participating couples. The judges had a tough job, but they made great calls across the board.

Although Gene & Elena stood out many of the couples competing are with a mention especially in the Cabaret division where Artur Shastavets & Maryna Shalaneva took a clear second place, Sebastian Quinones & Elina Sharipova placed third, and Vlad Pop & Jhinuk Alvares finished fourth.

In the Rhythm Jhondarr Lopez & Ashley Mattingly, had a clear second place finish; Emilio Flores & Lucero Vasquez were overall third 3,3,4,3,3, and Nicolas Garcia & Nora Maria Garcia took fourth 4,4,3,4,4. Fifth place was awarded to William Brand & Anne Brand 5,5,5,6,5 and sixth place went to Trevon Anderson & Sarah Babick 6,6,6,5,6.

While the Professional Rhythm brought plenty of excitement, the best dancing - and the most populated competition of the night - came from the Open Professional Smooth division, which began with a semifinal round. Two couples stood out from the rest: Nick Cheremukin & Viktorija Barashkinina and Volodymyr Barabash & Yulia Rudenco. Nick & Viktorija won all dances with a majority of first-place marks, but for those of us watching, the competition felt much closer than the scores suggested.

• Open Pro Smooth Open Pro Smooth
• Nick Cheremukhin & Viktorija Nick Cheremukhin & Viktorija
• Volodymyr Barabash & Yulia Rudenko Volodymyr Barabash & Yulia Rudenko
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On paper, the results leaned clearly in Nick & Viktorija’s favor. Volodymyr & Yulia managed to earn only one first-place mark in the waltz, yet their performance across all dances was strong enough to secure a solid second place. Still, for many in the audience, this could easily have gone either way - for many of us, it was that close.

Third place in this excellent Smooth heat was awarded to Oleksandr Kremenchutskyi & Alexandra Babenko in all dances; fourth went to Alexander Romanov & Anna Blagodyreva. Joao Carvalho & Sarah Berens placed overall in fifth place 5,5,5,6, and sixth were Jonathan Wolfgram & Danyelle Morley 6,6,6,5.  

• Open Pro Latin Open Pro Latin
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The smallest of the professional heats was the Open Professional Latín with only 3 couples in attendance. It was a clear win for Malachi Osai & Anastasia Hrynnyk with perfect scores in all five dances. Second in all dances went to Sam Paliashchuk & Nelly Mustafayeva, and third place was delivered to Kleitos Tsetas & Ada Xhurxhi.

The Texas Challenge concluded with an excellent after-party, featuring great food and cocktails for all. The organizers were once again present, making sure everyone was having a wonderful time. Our heartfelt thanks go to John & Olga for their kind invitation and for making us all feel so welcomed and at home.