St. George, a senior art history major, started her dancing journey at the age of two, studying tap and jazz dancing. She began learning Latin ballroom dance at the age of nine due to its similarities to “Dancing with the stars.”
For the last six years, she has been coached by experienced dancer Nenad Pavlovic, at Fred Astaire Dance Studios.
Fred Astaire Dance Studios have been around since 1947, with 184 locations in the United States. The studios expect excellent standards and focus on producing great amateur and professional dancers who embody the late Fred Astaire’s values.
St. Georges coach, Pavlovic, is an experienced dancer from Serbia who has danced globally for 23 years.
“He really has influenced my dancing and inspired me to push myself,” says St. George. “He’s willing to help me get where I want to be.”
Working with St. George over the years, Pavlovic says that she is one of the greatest successes he has had as a student
“She’s professional and she’s dancing and she’s educating herself on the ballroom world,” Pavlovic says.
Over the years of learning at Fred Astaire, St. George has learned many dance styles and variations of dance from Pavlovic.
“There two different styles in ballroom, smooth and rhythm,” says St. George. “I know how to do American styles of these [styles].”
She says smooth is traditional ballroom styled dances like waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz. Rhythm is Latin American based with mambo, Chacha, bolero, swing and rumba styles.
Based on her knowledge of these styles, she has competed at the intermediate and professional level.
“I started competing when I was 10 or 11,” says St. George. “I’ve probably [competed] around 20 [times].”
The competitions are divided into regions. St. George has competed at regional and international competitions. There are also national competitions and independent competitions outside of Fred Astaire, she says.
“As an amateur student, I had won several competitions but now that I am pro, it is a much different level. During my first pro competition, I placed 2nd and 4th in two divisions which are meant for newer pros,” she says.
Going into competitions, she views them as a good way to practice her abilities and see what else she can do better for future events.
“When I’m competing, I’m always in my head. I’m like ‘oh I didn’t like how that looked, that didn’t feel great. But then when I’m actually performing, I stop worrying about all the technique stuff and just have fun,” says St. George.
Some negatives of competing are having and working with multiple partners which she says can be challenging.
“It can be very difficult to keep your emotions calm,” she says. “[Since] I’m not the one leading the dance because I’m not the male, I really have to calm myself down and figure out how to work with [a partner],” she says.
Timing, practice and chemistry on the dance floor are all needed to compete well and comfortably. Gaining all three with multiple partners is difficult but she tries to manage, she says.
St. George has been working and practicing for upcoming competitions with Felix Reyes, who has been competed over 600 times.
“[Juliette] just started as a professional and she’s very motivated and talented so [practicing] with her has been very easy,” Reyes says.
Another aspect of these competitions is the attire. Depending on the style of dance, that will determine what is worn.
For traditional smooth dancers, someone might be wearing a big ball gown or a long flowing dress with rhinestones. For someone who is dancing rhythm style, dancers are more revealing wearing shorter dresses.
“In rhythm, you are trying to show off more of your legs and show more of your body movement,” she says.
She describes the attire as another way to express herself and a sign of respect for the sport.
“As a woman, it’s very important how you look on the floor,” she says. “If you don’t look like a million dollars, you are not going to win.”
Although she loves competing, she says it is one of the most expensive sports to do due to dresses, heels and lessons.
“In the US it’s more expensive because a lot of dresses need to have crystals imported and stuff like that. So, [dresses] might range from like 2,000 to 6,000 dollars,” she says.
Even though the hobby is expensive, she says she wants to continue competing over the next few years and hopefully find a partner who shares the same goals and mindset she has.
When she is not on campus in classes or practicing for competitions, St. George is usually teaching her own students at Fred Astaire.
“I typically teach adults,” she says. “With my more advanced students I will work on a lot of elements of technique, whereas with beginner students it’s more so making them feel comfortable enough to dance and creating a positive journey.”
St. George has already dedicated more than half of her life to dancing, but she plans on continuing her journey with Fred Astaire. She says she wants to one day open her own studio once she learns the business side of it.
“There are not many young women who open their own studios,” she says. “If I could open my own studio, it would be cool.”
