37th Ohio Star Ball – November 20 – 24, 2014

At this 37th year of the Ohio Star Ball (OSB) held at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio, Alex Havasi and Marilyn Fordney gave awards to the winning participants of the Fordney Foundation Junior and Youth Dance Series. This was Fordney Foundation’s first year participating in this famous and gala event.  We are very proud and excited to not only be a part of this wonderful event but to also congratulate all of our winners for their hard work.

Marilyn Fordney and Alex Havasi of the Fordney Foundation Interviewed by Donna Edelstein – Ohio Star Ball

First, we would like to thank the team captains:  East Coast – Melanie LaPatin and Eugene Katsevman and West Coast – Melissa Dexter and Ron Montez.  We appreciate their efforts to coordinate the dance teams so effectively.

And here are our winners, we congratulate them all.

Westcoast Team at OSB Photo taken by Alex Havasi

10 Top Latin 

1. Loren Silverman and Monet Pinkett

2. Jackson Bayhi and Ashley Mattingly

3. Erik Linder and Rickie Taylor

4. Mitchell Itkin and Natasha Shevchenko

5. Kevin Zavernieiv and Sasha Pevtsov

6. Aleksandr Borisov and Masha Yakhkind

7. Tyler Li and Angelica Lowe

8. Jonas Terleckas and Ruby Castro

9. Kristers Smits and Sophie Shvartsman

10. Kinsley Lin and Michelle Yiu

Eastcoast Team at OSB Photo taken by Alex Havasi

10 Top Standard 

1. Justin Lin and Sasha Dubinsky

2. Erik Linder and Rickie Taylor

3. Samuel Hacke and Katarina Hermanova

4. Kinsley Lin and Michelle Yiu

5. Jonas Terleckas and Ruby Castro

6. Brandon Klavansky and Nicole Klavansky

7. Robert McShinsky and Peyton Munson

8. Aleksandr Borisov and Masha Yakhkind

9. Tyler Li and Anjelica Lowe

10. Patryk Przybysz and Gabriela Giraldo

Eastcoast Winning Team – OSB – Photo by Alex Havasi

East Coast Latin Team

J1        Giovanni Castellon and Carolina Carvajalino

D’Angelo Castro and Amanda Carbajales

J2        Kristers Smits and Sophie Shvartsman

Daniel Lougin and Sofia Lougin

YA       Kevin Zavernieiv and Sasha Pevtsov

Ariel Milshtein and Adelina Ishkayeva      

East Coast Standard Team

J1        Volodymyr Babiy and Natalie Zoladkiewicz

Jonas Terleckas and Ruby Castro

J2        Alexander Borison and Masha Yakhkind

Brandon Klavansky and Nicole Klavansky

YA       Justin Lin and Sasha Dubinsky

Samuel Hacke and Katarina Hermanova

10 Top Latin Winners – OSB Photo by Alex Havasi

West Coast Latin Team

J1        Loren Silverman and Monet Pinkett

Matteo Laudati and Kennedy Eaton

J2        Jackson Bayhi and Ashley Mattingly

Brandon Keck and Kaylee Christiansen

YA       Mitchell Itkin and Natasha Shevchenko

Jacob Murillo and Sydney Tormey

West Coast Standard Team

J1        Tyler Li and Angelica Lowe

Daniel Tsurik and Victoria Gribmen

J2        Kinsley Lin and Michelle Yiu

Erik Linder and Rickie Taylor

YA       Robert McShinsky and Peyton Munson

Eric Ascione and Grace Anderson

10 Top Standard Winners OSB(1 missing) Photo by Alex Havasi

At OSB, the main attraction is professional dancers from all over the world who compete for titles in the styles American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Ballroom and International Latin. This year Aida Moreno, a producer for PBS was on site filming America’s Ballroom Challenge that will air in three Friday 9 PM segments (April 24, May 1, and May 8). So mark your calendars!

For the last 14 years of OSB, the World Pro/Am DanceSport Series is held where one dancer is the teacher dancing with an amateur student. There are also amateur dance competition events where both partners are amateurs. More than 13,000 dancers arrived and to accommodate all of the competitions, OSB has grown from a 3-day event to a 6-day event.

Awards1 – OSB Photo taken by Alex Havasi

The Fordney Foundation Junior and Youth Dance Series East Coast versus West Coast team match was held on Friday afternoon. This turned out to be a very exciting event for the parents, friends, dancers, event organizers, dance coaches, dance instructors, judges, and everyone watching who began yelling for their team, whistling, stamping their feet, and clapping. The scores were very close and these were periodically given out as the teams danced. In the end, the East Coast won by a .3 margin leaving a big challenge to the west coast for next year. Annual cash awards and congratulations were given out to the 10 top Latin and 10 top Standard based on accumulated points over a 12-month period. Finally each member of both teams was given cash awards and congratulations for a job well done. Two individuals interviewed Marilyn and these are posted on YouTube. There are photos with comments of some winners on Facebook.

Alla and David Novikova with Sam Sodano – OSB Photo by Alex Havasi

Friday and Saturday nights in Battelle Hall competitions were held for professional dancers, show dances, and professional finals and these events were filmed by PBS. In fact, two of the dance scholarships (Shannon Jensen with her husband Shane and Travis Tuft) that our foundation gives every year to Brigham Young University, professionally competed and won top awards. Everyone experienced a special treat at the end of Saturday night when 7-year-old David and his mother, Alla Novikova, stepped onto the floor and danced ending their performance with a standing ovation. Thank you to the organizer, Sam Sodano, for creating the Ohio Star Ball for dancers all over the world.

Thought Of The Week:

Life is a beautiful thing and there is so much to smile about.