America's Ballroom Challenge
| America's Ballroom Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Aida Moreno |
| Presented by |
 Tony Meredith (2006 - 2007) Marilu Henner (2006 - 2007) Jasmine Guy (2008) Ron Montez (2008 - present) Jean Louisa Kelly (2009) |
| Country of origin |
United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 (As of February 25, 2009) |
| No. of episodes | 13 (As of February 25, 2009) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Moreno/Lyons Productions |
| Location(s) |
 Columbus, OH |
| Running time | Varies |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Picture format |
(480p) (SDTV) (720p) (HDTV) |
| Original release | February 1, 2006 – February 25, 2009 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
America's Ballroom Challenge is a competitive ballroom dance television series airing on Public Broadcasting Service in the United States since 2006.
It is part of the annual Ohio Star Ball,[1] a festival of DanceSport in Columbus, Ohio.
Each season typically consists of competitions in five categories, with the first four categories devoted to each of the major styles of competitive ballroom dance:
- American Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz
- American Rhythm: Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo
- International Standard: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep
- International Latin: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive
The last category is a "Grand Finale" with the four champion couples competing for the title of "America's Best" dancers.
Episode guide
Season 1 (2006)
Hosted by Marilu Henner and Tony Meredith.
| Season 1 | Airdate | Category | Champions[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | February 1, 2006 | American Smooth | Ben Ermis and Shalene Archer Ermis |
| American Rhythm | Tony Dovolani and Elena Grinenko | ||
| International Standard | Erminio Stefano and Liene Apale | ||
| International Latin | Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova | ||
| Episode 2 | February 8, 2006 | Grand Finale | Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova |
Season 2 (2007)
Hosted by Marilu Henner and Tony Meredith.
| Season 2 | Airdate | Category | Champions[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | January 31, 2007 | American Smooth | Ben Ermis and Shalene Archer-Ermis |
| Episode 2 | February 7, 2007 | American Rhythm | Tony Dovolani and Elena Grinenko |
| Episode 3 | February 14, 2007 | International Standard | Jonathan Wilkins and Katusha Demidova |
| Episode 4 | February 21, 2007 | International Latin | Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova |
| Episode 5 | February 28, 2007 | Grand Finale | Jonathan Wilkins and Katusha Demidova |
Season 3 (2008)
Hosted by Jasmine Guy and Ron Montez.
| Season 3 | Airdate | Category | Champions[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | January 30, 2008 | American Smooth | Tomas Mielnicki and J.T. Thomas |
| Episode 2 | February 6, 2008 | American Rhythm | Jose DeCamps and Joanna Zacharewicz |
| Episode 3 | February 13, 2008 | International Standard | Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova |
| Episode 4 | February 20, 2008 | International Latin | Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova |
| Episode 5 | February 27, 2008 | Grand Finale | Andrei Gavriline and Elena Kryuchkova |
Season 4 (2009)
Hosted by Jean Louisa Kelly and Ron Montez.
| Season 4 | Airdate | Category | Champions[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | February 25, 2009 | American Smooth | Jonathan Roberts and Valentina Kostenko |
| American Rhythm | Jose DeCamps and Joanna Zacharewicz | ||
| International Standard | Mikhail Avdeev and Anastasia Muravyeva | ||
| International Latin | Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko | ||
| Grand Finale | Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko |
The 2009 season (which would have aired in 2010) was not produced.
The 2010 season (which would have aired in 2011) was not produced.
Championship Ballroom Dancing
Prior to America's Ballroom Challenge, PBS was featuring Championship Ballroom Dancing, also from the Ohio Star Ball, annually since 1980. The one-show event featured the final rounds of the International Standard and International Latin Styles of the competition with exhibitions in between usually by winners from other categories not shown on broadcast.[6]
References
- ↑ Ohio Star Ball - A Festival of Dancesport
- ↑ Season 1 - The Competition
- ↑ Season 2 - The Competition
- ↑ Season 3 - The Competition
- ↑ Season 4 - The Competition
- ↑ (2009-02-09). "America's Ballroom Challenge". PBS.org. Retrieved on 2011-05-26.