Amazing things happen on a cruise ship.
When Cruise Director, Barry Hopkins, devised the
“Dancing with the Mariner Stars” competition, he
had no idea it would be such a hit. And, when
Brown and Keene client, Valerie, boarded Mariner
with her husband, Chuck, she had no idea that
she would be dancing with an International dance
champion.
Such is life on a cruise ship.
“We’re going to have a dance competition,” Barry
Hopkins announced from the stage of the
Constellation Theater. An excited buzz traveled
through the audience as he explained the details
of “Dancing with the Mariner Stars.”
The next day, when guests gathered in the Coffee
Connection, exercised on the walking track or
dined in Compass Rose, the topic of conversation
was, “are you going to try out?”
The tryouts proved to be as popular as any guest
lecturer. Friends watched from their seats in
the theater as hopeful contestants performed the
cha-cha, tango, swing or waltz with a Mariner
dance professional while a selection committee
observed.
The next night, after the production show,
“Ballroom Bravo,” starring International
champions, Igor Dogotor and Natalia Gorshikova,
Hopkins introduced the contest’s semi-finalists.
Brown and Keene clients Valerie and Tom were
part of the lucky group.
After a video introduction, each contestant drew
a name from a large silver bowl to see who their
professional partner would be. Tom picked
Lorraine, the ship’s social hostess.
(Unfortunately, Tom had to withdraw from the
competition before the semi-final show when an
ATV excursion in Moorea aggravated an old back
injury.)
Valerie jumped for joy when her slip of paper
read – Igor, the International ballroom dance
champion.
Why would a passenger want to spend hours
practicing and dancing her way from Auckland to
Los Angeles?
“It was a chance to do something different,”
Valerie says.
On sea days, Stars Disco saw plenty of action as
the dance couples choreographed and practiced
their routines. They also participated in two to
three hour rehearsals for the semi-final and
grand finale shows.
At the semi-final show, Valerie and Igor wowed
the audience dancing the jive. Dressed in a
black t-shirt and black pants, Valerie could
have been Igor’s shadow as she copied his
intricate steps. And, when 62-year-old Valerie
did a split, the crowd went wild. Yes, she and
Igor made it to the finals.
With the field narrowed to five finalists, the
practicing and rehearsals continued as Mariner
sailed across the Pacific Ocean.
The Grand Finale was the perfect complement to
the last formal night of the cruise. Passengers
filled the theater waiting for the show to
begin. The room darkened, Hopkins stood in the
spotlight and the final competition began. This
time the routines were more complex, with lifts
and new tricks — the hours of practice were
evident.
Once again, Valerie and Igor jived across the
stage, their routine perfectly synchronized. At
the end, Igor flipped Valerie in the air and the
contest was theirs.
Yes, Valerie won the contest and a $2500 credit
for a future cruise. And, her name will be on
the trophy of the now, annual competition.
What did participating mean to Valerie?
She says, “On a personal level, apart from the
fun of dancing, getting out of my safety zone
was the best part.”
The morning after the contest, when Valerie
entered La Veranda for breakfast, everyone
clapped.
“The wondrous thing was how kind and supportive
people were that I’d never met before,” she
adds.
That’s the beauty of cruising
