Beach Bash

In 2017 I competed as a novice “bronze” dancer in four different styles (American Smooth, International Standard, Rhythm and Latin) at the annual Ballroom Beach Bash, a DanceSport competition in San Diego. I won a number of trophies and accolades that year, not knowing at the time that part of the glory was simply because I had entered so many different dances. (The top competitor awards are skewed toward the dancers who compete the most, rather than those who place in the top spots most often.) I had entered as many dances as I could afford in 2017 because I had a number of ailments at the time and thought I might be dying. And also because I suspected that my pro partner, Nicole Piechowski, was planning to quit her job in St. Paul, Minnesota, and move to California, a suspicion that later proved to be true.

Fortunately, I overcame my health concerns and continued dancing. This year, I returned to the Beach Bash as a silver-level competitor in three styles (Smooth, Standard and Latin) with my pro-partner Grace Jungers. We did exceedingly well in individual events, but this time I did not win any overall awards because I aimed for quality rather than quantity.

Pro dancer Eric Hudson with amateur Annabel Bavaud in 2017.

During my first Beach Bash I also photographed my friends who were dancing. I was just getting into dance photography but I was reasonably happy with the results and gave the images away. My friends encouraged me to do more, launching me into what later would become my business, Danzante Photography LLC. This year, I didn’t try to photograph the pro-am events because I hadn’t arranged to do so in advance with the floor photographer, a master craftsman named Stephen Marino. He told me the professional events were fair game, however, and I gladly shot them on two nights, together with a few evening events featuring serious amateurs who are on their way to become pros.

It’s safe to say that both my dancing and my dance photography have come a long way since 2017. I am posting a gallery below of my most recent shots.

My next photography assignment will be in Sacramento, working as the official photographer for the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation’s annual convention. Please stay tuned. If you have any dance events you want photographed, or if you want portraits or professional headshots to update your brand, please let me know as I am back working again after recovering from spinal surgery. You can see my work in those categories by clicking the links above.