The Florida Affect!
Palm Beach Classic Sees Upswing for ‘21

As its name suggests, the event is held in Palm Beach, Florida and at the Palm Beach Hilton Hotel. As Florida has been somewhat “relaxed” about the Covid 19 epidemic, this competition as others in late 2020, saw a significant uptick in entries as dance-starved competitors search for somewhere to ply their craft.

• The Ballroom The Ballroom
• The Ballroom The Ballroom
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I must commend the 2 Olgas for their attention to safety protocols. Most people not dancing were masked throughout, there was no “on-deck” area and no awards for the single dance divisions. They even provided air purifiers on every table to go along with the hand sanitizers.

• Outside Party Outside Party
• Circus Style Entertainment Circus Style Entertainment
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The competition session itself was on Sunday and ran for more than 12 hours, beginning at 7:00 AM. However, the Olgas also arranged 2 dinners. The first was outside by the pool on Saturday night and had the now signature “circus-style” entertainment that has become a standard at the Palm Beach Classic. We saw more of them on Sunday night at the sit down formal banquet in the ballroom following the competition session.

• Evening Entertainment Evening Entertainment
• Olga Foroponova & Yegor Novikov Olga Foroponova & Yegor Novikov
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The star attraction on Sunday night, however, was the performance by former US Pro Smooth Champion, Olga Foroponova, partnered by current US Pro Smooth finalist, Yegor Novikov. They danced an evocative and moving routine that was admired by all. It was great to see “the Queen of Smooth” back on the floor again.

• Top Studio Top Studio
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The Palm Beach Classic was a well-run 1-day event and I was pleased to see their success this year. The attractive, stand-alone, ballroom was beautifully decorated and the event ran close to time all day, despite the last minute rush of entries.

Well done to the 2 Olgas!