The United States Dancesport Council and Brigham Young University will host the 1993 World Amateur Standard Dancesport Championships at BYU's Marriott Center on March 27, 1993. Advance ticket sales for the event at $8, $12 and $18 are available in the Marriott Center ticket office, 378-BYU1 or 1-800-322-BYU1.
This marks the first time in the history of ballroom dancing that a world championship will be held in the United States, according to Claudia Hill of BYU's ballroom dance faculty.Approximately 70 countries will be invited to send their two top-ranked couples to compete for the title of world amateur champions in the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, fox trot and quickstep.
The world event will be held in conjunction with the annual BYU International Ball and Dance Championships scheduled for March 25-26. Highlights of the weekend will include showcases by the world professional Latin American champions, Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather, and the BYU Ballroom Dance Company.
- A PRIZE-WINNING PERFORMANCE at national dance championships last summer has qualified 1990 BYU graduates Lyle and Carolyn Klippel of Salt Lake City to represent the United States in the World Amateur Ballroom Dance Championships at BYU in March.
The pair were one of the top two American couples at the world-qualifying national championships in Hunt Valley, Md., where they faced a field of 39 couples.
"Though it wasn't all fun and games to get this far, it was well worth the work out," Carolyn says.
They had taken off 14 months from competitive dancing to start a family, and thought they had competed for the last time. But six weeks after their daughter Kristin was born they returned to the practice floor, and three weeks later took first place trophy for winning all five competitive dances - waltz, fox trot, tango, Viennese waltz and quickstep - in the Western regional championships in San Jose, Calif. Further wins in Los Angeles and at the North American championships in Charry Hill, N.J., solidified their position.
"Stamina has been a big problem," Carolyn said. "When you don't practice for even one week you really feel the difference, let alone 14 months. When we began training again, it was frustrating because we knew what was right, but we couldn't make our bodies do it."
However, according to coaches Brian and Susan Puttock of Las Vegas, taking time from competitive dancing actually seemed to help the Klippels' dancing, since they lost some bad habits. "We had lost a little strength but gained a much better topline. It is more controlled," Lyle said.
Lyle is 28, Carolyn Jackson Klippel is 27.