World champion dancers to judge competition
Published 12:27 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2016
For the Reporter
Erik Linder and Rickie Taylor, world champion ballroom dancers, will judge the Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbows competition in Federal Way on Saturday.
The competition is the pinnacle of the dancing classrooms experience where participating schools send six couples to represent their school and engage in friendly competition with other participating Puget Sound schools.
The Colors of the Rainbow event is open to the public and will include two sessions with 10 local schools at Todd Beamer High School, 35999 16th Ave. S., Federal Way
Sessions begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Linder and Taylor, who will be judging at the event, were named National Champions at the U.S. National Amateur DanceSport Championships in Provo, Utah on Saturday, in addition to their world championship title.
Linder and Taylor, both 15, have many prestigious titles and awards at their young age. Together were world champions at the International Standard Championships in Paris, France in 2014. Other credentials include dancing on the USA World Team and dancing as finalists at the Blackpool Dance Festival in Blackpool, England.
They have appeared on “Dancing with the Stars”, “America’s Got Talent” and the “Oprah Show”.
The Colors of the Rainbow competition will also feature a performing team from Pacific Ballroom Dance, involving several Auburn residents ages 13 to 18, as well as a floor show by Linder and Taylor.
Dancing Classrooms Greater Seattle is a branch of the global Dancing Classrooms organization and is locally managed by Pacific Ballroom Dance, a nonprofit youth focused ballroom dance studio in Auburn.
Schools that elect to participate in Dancing Classrooms are assigned a professional teaching artist to present the program in all of its fifth-grade classes, including a culminating event at the end of the 10-week residency.
