Sushi with Ron

After one of our practices this week, we went out for sushi for dinner. Our first restaurant choice was closed, so we ventured to another. After we sat down and ordered, we saw one of the local coaches, Ron Montez, come in. For those of you who haven't heard of Ron Montez, here's a brief description of his dancing accomplishments:

Ron Montez is one of the most respected personalities in the dance business. He previously held title as the 7-time undefeated United States Professional Latin Champion. He achieved 4th place in the World’s Professional Latin Championships held at Royal Albert Hall in London. He has reached the final of the prestigious British Championships in Blackpool, England. Ron is recognized as a World class adjudicator, dance coach and choreographer in both American and International styles.

He's also had TV gigs, organizes competitions around the country, and he's received the United States Dance Championships Hall of Fame Award. So he's kind of a big deal. 

We saw him sit down by himself at a table. Ibrahim thought about inviting him to sit with us. Normally, we would have been too intimidated to ask, but I think the fact that Ron was sitting by himself and that he had recently lost his young son, we thought maybe he would like some company. Ibrahim got up and asked him to join us and then went to the restroom to wash his hands. Ron came over and sat with me and while I was glad to have him, I suddenly realized I didn't know what to say. I couldn't ask a man whose son died about a month ago how things were going. We talked a bit about sushi and I hoped Ibrahim would come back quickly.

I didn't have to spend too much time by myself, and Ibrahim was good at keeping the conversation going. I felt like we had one of those rare opportunities to get insight from a dance legend, but I didn't know what to ask. 

Ron shared a little bit of dance history with us and it was clear that he had some strong opinions about Latin dancing. Even though he was a champion several times, he repeatedly said that the British (the ones who created the ballroom style) didn't get it. As he put it, they took dancing that developed in the Americas, standardized it, and then they took it back to the Americas (and the rest of Europe). Ron also didn't like jive. It was "boring" and too technical. There wasn't anything interesting about it for him...it didn't move him. Ibrahim and I realized and discussed later that Ron was more of an artistic, feeling kind of dancer. He danced in a technically conscious way, but he seemed to place more emphasis on creativity of movement. He really liked other variations of swing...east coast, west coast, jitterbug. Jive, not so much. 

"An adult woman jumping around, spreading her legs, and doing kicks in these sleek dresses looks ridiculous. Walter Laird (the father of latin dancing) even said, 'jive is for kids!' It's a kids' dance." 

Mostly, though, I was under the impression that Ron thought the British created a version of dance akin to Frankenstein's Monster: it sort of resembled the real thing, but it was a perverted version and probably somewhat offensive to the cultures from which the dances originated. I don't disagree...I've heard several times that the British saw latin dancing and then made something up that had a latin idea. 

Over time, latin dancers have incorporated more of the original movement of the dances into latin, and I think the progression toward authenticity will continue as dancers look for new choreography. 

Opinions like Ron's, though, put a developing dancer in a conflicting situation. When I first started dancing, I didn't particularly care for latin. I wasn't interested in how it looked or felt. However, after dancing it and seeing it over and over, I became used to it and started to enjoy it. Now, I'm trying to learn the style and fit into its standards so I can compete and do well in competition. Then I'm told things like, it isn't natural or it isn't authentic. It makes me question what I'm really trying to do...if these statements are true, am I really trying to be a good dancer? Or am I trying to fit into an artificial system of standards? I also had a half-formulated question I wanted to ask but couldn't find the right words at the time: how did he value ballroom and latin dancing? It's a world in which he lives and works...it is his whole world, essentially, and yet he seems to think part of it artificial. 

Of course, I couldn't quite frame the question at the time, so it went unasked. I may never get a chance to ask again as we found out Ron is moving to Phoenix next month. Not that we'll never see him again, but a chance for dinner is unlikely. 

Anyway, Ibrahim and I discussed some of these things afterward. Overall, our experience with Ron was pleasant. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. He has strong opinions about styling and some of the money-driven operations in the dance world, but otherwise he is surprisingly humble and approachable. I'm glad we chatted. Also, who knows...maybe he'll remember us better at competitions when he judges ;).