The Arnold Youth Dancesport Classic is a highly visual and glamorous event that features the nation's elite in youth dancesport. In 2009 more than 1,000 dancers are expected to tantalize the full house audience with their graceful moves and athletic endurance. In 2009, Dancesport will be a featured event as a part of the 2009 Active Aging Festival.
Each year, the event awards $25,000 in scholarship funds, and each dancer has the opportunity to win scholarship dollars to help further their dancing needs including coaching, travel, costumes, cosmetics, and shoes.
The event is adjudicated by a world renowned panel of experts and is organized annually by Sam Sodano and Bill Sparks. "You will be amazed at the speed, dexterity, and motion of a dozen couples on the floor at the same time," said Sodano. "No single couple dominates as they all move across a single dance platform. Yet, one couple will show you how the simplicity of a few dance steps and the athleticism of a true competitor combine to create a new form of athletic art."
Sam Sodano and Bill Sparks are internationally recognized Latin Dance Champions. Sam Sodano is the famed presenter of PBS’s America’s Ballroom Challenge and Bill Sparks is widely recognized for his Ohio based Youth Dancesport Academy where youngsters of every age master ballroom dance, cha cha, rumba, samba, 'paso doble, and jive.
