Teen Dancers To Perform At Waltham's French American Victory Club

WALTHAM, MA — Two young ballroom dancers are set to perform at the French American Victory Club's Grand Reopening on Saturday, August 7 at 7 p.m.

Christopher Affonso, 15, and Holly Hatleberg, 14, are competitive dancers at Champions Dance Sports Club in Everett, owned by Affonso's mom, Judit Gaspar. They have been dance partners for over nine years, both starting their individual practice as young children.

"My parents started going to our dance studio for waltz lessons, and they liked it enough that they kept going," said Hatleberg. "I was young enough that my sister and I had to go with them, and one day I was like 'I can do this better than you!' The rest is history."

"I started at [age] three and after that I was always around it," said Affonso, who now leads classes for younger dance students. "In the beginning it was a little difficult, but later on I got into it."

Affonso and Hatleberg have competed in both local and national competitions and won multiple championships, including the Tufts University Ballroom Championship and Boston University Ballroom Championship. They also placed first in Standard Dances and second in Latin at the 2019 USA Dance Junior Nationals on Gold level and plan to compete in the 2022 nationals with some help from professional ballroom dancer Andrea Zaramella.

Outside of dance, Affonso is a sophomore at BC High and Hatleberg will be entering her freshman year at Chelsea High School. They both run cross country and track and enjoy playing tennis for fun.

The teens' upcoming performance at the French American Victory Club is part of a collaboration with local dance instructor Laurie Cotto, who owns the newly established studio DancesbyLaurie. The show will feature three dance styles, including waltz, foxtrot, and quickstep.

"We are looking forward to it..." began Affonso.

"Because it's going to be our first back to the dance world!" finished Hatleberg. "It's been awhile since we did a show live. It's going to be very nice to see people after COVID."

Tickets for the French American Victory Club's Grand Reopening will be available at the door for $10 each. For more information, click here.