By Bonnie Andrews
For most BYU ballroom dancers, the demands of the sport are comparable to those for a college football player, minus the scholarship benefits.
Stephanie Rosen, a senior studying accounting, and Adam Sorensen, a senior studying music and Russian, manage to find the time and resources to pack competitive ballroom dancing into their schedules on top of everything else.
The pair has been competitively dancing International Latin together for nine months and many of their peers and coaches said they agree the pair has been successful in their dancing endeavors.
The Pacific DanceSport Championships, happening this weekend in California, is the 6th largest competition the pair has competed in. They said they are hoping to keep up with their trend of placing in virtually every final round, often one of the top three places in their competition category.
As for most, their success does not come as a free ride. Both said they agree the sport is an investment of time, money, talent and patience.
'I learned on my mission that you don''t necessarily need free time to be happy,' Sorensen said. 'You only need a change of activity.'
The two said they agreed the challenging schedule is for their own benefit.
'Majoring in accounting is not very dance friendly,' Rosen said. 'It''s really hard to balance, but it''s worth it. I like that accounting pushes me in different ways than dance does.'
Typically the pair practices five times a week, two hours each practice.
'When we start a practice, we usually warm-up for 10 minutes,' Sorensen said.
'Then for an hour and forty-five minutes we focus on one routine and argue intermittently about what the dance is supposed to be like,' he said laughing.
Both said they agree, despite the arguments, they have a great partnership.
'We have a brother, sister relationship,' Rosen said. 'You have to learn to get along like a family.'
A dance partnership requires sacrifice, there is a lot of giving and taking, she said.
'It''s not just a casual relationship,' Sorensen said. 'It takes more than just showing up, you have to work together.'
Sorenson said he''s never let Rosen walk away mad.
'Partnerships can be emotionally straining,' Sorensen said. 'You always have to remember that even when the competition is over, your partner will still be there. You have to take care of them.'
Practices for the pair usually happen from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m., or 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
'We just don''t have any other time of the day,' Rosen said. 'A lot of the time you''re tired and physically and mentally exhausted, but you can''t give up.'
The two said the little sleep they get is manageable as they prepare for upcoming competitions.
'Competitions are high maintenance, and it''s expensive to prepare for them,' Rosen said. ' We both spend literally thousands of dollars out of our pockets a year.'
The costuming, make-up, hair, nails and tanning for the competition makes most people turn their heads, Rosen said.
'It isn''t a very natural look,' she said. 'It''s crazy I know, but if you don''t look the part then you stand out. It really makes a difference. You can''t go out just wearing a Sunday dress.'
Rosen''s current competitive dress is adorned with 5,000 rhinestones and cost about $850. Sorensen spent $200 for his performance Latin pants and collared shirt.
'It sounds ridiculous, but that''s just what you do,' Rosen said. 'The shoes are another $135, and then you pay for tanning, nails, make-up, tights, leotards-it gets pretty pricey.
'When you dress yourself up like that it''s much easier to walk out on the competition floor and feel the part,' she said.
The couple prepares five Latin routines for each competition: Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive.
Sorensen said the couple gets lessons from local qualified teachers on a weekly basis for $40 an hour.
'When top world professionals come for a weekend to BYU we always have at least two lessons,' Rosen said.
Those lessons run $90 for 50 minutes, she said.
'The bottom line is that it is all worth it,' Rosen said. 'There is nothing more rewarding than leaving the dance floor and hearing the cheers from the audience and hoping you''ve given some kind of inspiration to someone.'
Both said they agreed that the sport is more than just an exhibition.
'It''s a teaching thing,' Rosen said. 'You learn so much about the technical skill it takes to be a ballroom dancer, but you also learn about relationships.'