The Yankee Classic 2025: Mi Fiesta Dance Studio’s Unforgettable Weekend

The Yankee Classic 2025 was held June 19–22 at the Boston Hilton in Woburn, Massachusetts — and what a weekend it was! At Mi Fiesta Dance Studio, we’d been eagerly preparing for this major ballroom event for months, and it absolutely exceeded expectations.

Although the competition spanned four days, Sunday was primarily reserved for junior categories, so our students competed Thursday through Saturday.

The first day kicked off with American Rhythm competitions. We had four students compete in various categories:

• Sharon competed in her first-ever ballroom competition after two years of lessons. She danced in the Newcomer Bronze category and impressed everyone with her poise and performance.

• Lauren competed in the Bronze category and Irina and Stewart competed in the Silver categories.

The competition was fierce – even more participants came from all over the country than last year! There were evensemifinales in many categories as more than ten couples competed.

Notable Results:

• Irina Shapeton placed 4th out of 8 in the 4-Dance Scholarship Closed Silver S1 American Rhythm (Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero).

• Stewart placed 6th out of 12 in the 4-Dance Scholarship Closed Silver C Amer. Rhythm (CC,R,SW,B) category and took 1st place in the Gents Only 5-Dance Scholarship Closed GB Men American Rhythm (Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, Mambo).

Unfortunately, Lauren started feeling unwell during the Rhythm events and had to withdraw from the rest of the weekend, missing Night Club and Smooth sessions. We missed her energy!

At Mi Fiesta Dance Studio, a premier ballroom dance studio in Massachusetts, we’d been eagerly preparing for this major ballroom event for months, and it absolutely exceeded expectations.

Thursday evening turned into a party with the Night Club division, which always includes a themed costume component. This year’s theme? Queens, princesses, and jokers!

• Irina, Eleanor, Stewart, and Ned danced like Salsa, Bachata, and Hustle, competing in Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels.

• Imi and Ned dressed as JOKERS, while Mariam, Eleanor, and Irina embodied Card queens: Irina as the Spade Queen, Eleanor as the Club Queen, and Mariam as the Diamond Queen.

• Our “Heart Queen” sadly couldn’t join due to illness, but we hope to bring the full deck next time!

Stewart even danced in a custom Ace of Spades costume. The vibe was pure fun — and in Night Club, that’s what matters most. Judges and scores take a back seat to creativity and connection.

During the competition, a book ad kept flashing on the big screen: “The Step Between Us” by Lauren Paul. It’s a ballroom-themed mystery novel — and fun fact: the main character, Nandi, was inspired by Lauren’s real-life dance teacher! No wonder he’s so charming. Highly recommended for dance fiction lovers!

Friday was dedicated entirely to American Smooth — from 8am to 6pm. Three Mi Fiesta dancers took to the floor:

• Eleanor danced Smooth for the first time ever and brought home a Bronze medal.

• Irina competed in Silver.

• Stewart danced in both Silver and Gold categories.

And of course, no comp is complete without a little chaos… Like many times before, I forgot something at home — this time, my cufflinks. Luckily, my good friend Anatoly lent me a shirt that didn’t require them.

When I walked into the ballroom and told Eleanor to guess what happend, she said, “You forgot your cufflinks?” She knows me too well!

Later, I overheard a student running to a vendor saying, “I forgot my tie! Do you sell any?” The vendor replied, “You’re the third dancer today — and it’s not even 8am.” That made me feel a little better!

• 1st place in 3-Dance Newcomer C M/F American Smooth Championship (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot)

• 3rd place out of 6 in 3-Dance Closed Bronze C M/F American Smooth Championship

Irina faced the largest field of the weekend with 18 couples in the 4-Dance Scholarship Closed Silver S1 Smooth (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz). She advanced to the semifinals, which is a major achievement at this level. Dancing in such a packed heat is an experience no lesson can simulate — it’s where real competitive growth happens! (The Ultimate Guide: 7 Secrets to the Judging System in Ballroom Dance Competitions)

• 2nd out of 4 in 4-Dance Scholarship Closed Silver C Smooth

• 1st out of 6 in 4-Dance Scholarship Closed GB Men Smooth

Saturday was reserved for International Standard and Latin. This was a powerhouse day with only Stewart and Mariam competing from Mi Fiesta — but they made it count!

• 1st place in both Gents Only 5-Dance Scholarship Closed GB Men Int’l Ballroom and 5-Dance Scholarship Closed Gold C Int’l Ballroom (Waltz, Tango, VW, Foxtrot, Quickstep)

• 2nd out of 6 in 4-Dance Scholarship Closed Silver C Int’l Latin (Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Jive)

• 1st place in Gents Only 5-Dance Scholarship Closed GB Men Int’l Latin

🎉 Fun fact: Stewart danced 118 dances across the weekend! That’s what we call ballroom’s Iron Man — showing up, performing at every level, and doing it with style.

We’d also like to thank Mariasha Couture for designing the fabulous Night Club costumes worn by me and Ned, as well as Eleanor’s gorgeous Smooth dress. The artistry brought our characters to life!

And a huge shoutout to Tothallissimo for creating stunning competition hairstyles for our female students. You helped our dancers shine on and off the floor.

From start to finish, The Yankee Classic 2025 was impeccably organized. Every round ran on time, the decorations were breathtaking, the lighting magical, and the music set the perfect mood.

More dancers showed up this year than ever before — proof that Igor Litvinov’s leadership and passion continue to elevate this competition into one of the best in the U.S.

A personal thank you to Igor for the voucher to re-dance the heats Lauren missed due to illness. We appreciate your generosity and can’t wait to be back next year!

If you’ve ever dreamed of competing or just want to feel more confident on the dance floor, our ballroom dance lessons can help get you there. Whether you’re a beginner or Pro-Am competitor, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

We’ll definitely return next year — same place, same energy. Until then, we’ll keep training, dancing, and dreaming big.

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