Victoria Metera and Marc Pinco do more than float on the dance floor. At the moment they are floating on cloud nine.
The St. Albert ballroom dance pair recently competed in the Northern Light Classic, a provincial dance competition, earning a berth at the Canadian Closed Championships in Montreal on April 18 and 19.
Metera and Pinco competed in four championship events. They took home a third-place finish in three categories and a fourth-place finish in the adult closed Latin category.
“It was difficult. There were a lot of great dancers but we felt we made a great showing and we had a great show of Edmonton support,” Metera said.
In 2013 the pair proudly carried home provincial gold. However, the duo still considers their finishes a personal victory.
“Last year we competed at the pre-champ level. This year the competition was a lot tougher. We were competing with people who have danced a lot longer and are older than we are. That just makes us want to train harder. Our goal is to place at the nationals,” said Metera.
With Ontario’s reigning champions Anton Belyayev and Antoaneta Popova competing at the nationals, the push is on to increase stamina, strength and basic technique.
“We’ve reviewed the tapes and some things we know we can do better, certain specific moves. Generally we felt we presented ourselves well.”
At the Northern Lights Classic, the lowest score receives gold. Judges consider technique, showmanship, presence, image, costume and makeup.
“Most years the judging is fairly consistent. But this year, some scored high. Some scored low. It was all over the map,” Metera said.
However, the striking couple refuses to look back, preferring to focus on the nationals.
“It’s going to be tough,” Metera said. “The east is very competitive, moreso than out west. But we’re definitely training harder and we’re very excited to compete.”
