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Wanting to be belle of the ball

By STEPHANIE GARRY
Published June 18, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Ted McLaren] Sara Gunn flies around the dance floor with her teacher Mario Drobny at Bayou Dance Club in Pinellas Park. Gunn started ballroom dancing about five years ago after starting with ballet when she was younger.

PINELLAS PARK - Someday, Sara Gunn wants to travel the world.

For now, the 15-year-old's reality couldn't be more different.

She lives in the city where she was born. An only child, she's been home-schooled since second grade.

Dancing is her connection to the world. Music from exotic locales inspires her, and her thickly accented teachers hail from four European countries. Ballroom dancing gripped this poised, long-haired girl long before it was the subject of prime-time television shows.

This week, Sara will compete against ballroom dancers from all over the world when they convene at St. Petersburg's Vinoy Hotel for the 10th annual Millennium Dancesport Championship.

It's one of the largest of its kind in the United States, with more than 15, 000 entries, said Michael Chapman, whose company runs the event. Dancers of all levels and ages will compete for nearly $100, 000 in prizes.

Sara started ballroom dancing five years ago, when she was just 10. She had taken ballet, but found it boring.

She dances in the International style category, which includes 10 dances, such as jive, rumba and the waltz.

Sara talks about the upcoming competition using words like "excited" and "ecstatic."

Her preparations for this week's competition will start at 6 a.m., after hardly any sleep.

Her grandma will pull her hair into a tight bun. Then she'll put on Sara's makeup, usually brightly colored eye shadow with false eyelashes and dark eyeliner.

To keep her energy up, Sara will snack on Gatorade, energy drinks and bananas throughout the day.

She dances with her teacher, Mario Drobny, who owns Bayou Dance Club, in the professional-amateur category.

To go pro, she'll need to find a partner her age and level, which is no easy feat considering the gender imbalance in ballroom dancing.

She plans to go to college, maybe study biology, her favorite subject.

There's also all that world traveling to do. "I've always wanted to go to Europe - anywhere, really, " she said.

But for now, those plans can wait.

"When I'm on the dance floor, I don't think about anything else, " she said. "If you're worried or stressed about something, it just takes all your thoughts away."

If you go

Serious dancing

What: Millennium Dance-sport Championship at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, 501 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg.

When: Wednesday to Sunday. Visit www.m2dance.com to see the daily schedule. Tickets range from $15 to $55. Call (863) 668-9668 for information.

[Last modified June 17, 2007, 22:31:20]