That’s a wrap! The first season of Bravo’s Dancing Queens came to an exciting end this past week. When the trailer was first released back in April, I felt curious more than anything else. After witnessing some nasty initial reactions to the trailer on social media, I felt called to act as a voice of reason and a reality check to the “reality” show. Our pro-am ballroom world would likely be overdramatized for the sake of Bravo’s audience, so I would follow along to inject a shot of common sense when necessary.

Now that the season has ended and I’ve watched the final episode, I can honestly say I enjoyed the journey! There was plenty of dancing to watch and as my reviews shared, there were also plenty of relatable challenges faced by the Dancing Queens ladies. Aside from a few highly edited scenes and scenarios that seemed set up solely for the sake of the storyline, the show’s portrayal of the ladies’ journey felt authentic.

In Episode 8, the ladies arrive at Millennium Dancesport Championships. Will the blood, sweat and tears they’ve all put into their dancing get them to that top podium?

One thing that I’ve enjoyed about the show and this episode in particular is getting to see how the ladies have grown and shifted their mindsets. Leonie has gained control over her self-doubt, Colette is growing more confident in her new partnership with Alex, and Donie has refocused on her joy of dancing instead of trying to conform to others’ expectations.

Before the ladies hit the dancefloor, there are a few of those highly edited/curated scenes I mentioned that seem to be strictly for the sake of the show. The show gives the impression that pro-am students who compete at the same skill level and age group get together for drinks or meals and interact outside of competitions, but that’s just not the case unless you’re already dance friends because you train at the same studio, for example. At competitions, people typically hang out with other dancers from their own studio or their immediate dance circle. Otherwise, we come together to dance and then all return to our own individual lives until we greet each other again at the next competition. While it’s not unheard of for a dressmaker to ask a student to carry a dress for another student to a competition, in reality, it would be a quick exchange and that’s it. You wouldn’t sit and chat if you didn’t already know each other pretty well.

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Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s focus on what’s important: the dancing!

Everyone is feeling at the top of their game at Millennium. The Open Latin B field is highly competitive with 16 couples entered. The ladies had a chance to watch each other dance during the semi-final round because it was split into two heats. It was nice to hear the ladies support each other (for the most part) in the interviews that were spliced into the dancing. That’s authentic pro-am ballroom!

Sabrina, Colette, Leonie and Gaëlle make the 6-couple final. Pooja and Donie do not.

For the first time all season, Donie seems happy about her performance. While she wanted to make the final, of course, we don’t hear her sink into the victim mindset when she doesn’t. She was clearly having a great time in the clips of her dancing. I loved hearing her say “Today was one of the first days that I really enjoyed being on the floor again, so it feels like a win for me.” Yes!

Pooja takes the news of not making the final a little harder. She has struggled to find her place in the Latin style as she constantly measures herself against her mom and her sister. It was nice to see her mom tell Pooja that she was proud of her, as that’s all Pooja talked about wanting through the season. I wasn’t surprised that Pooja didn’t make the final at such a highly competitive event, simply because she was still finding her feet in this style, but her expectations for herself have been high all season. Can we also acknowledge that she brought one of her kids to this competition? Having to switch back and forth between being a mom and being a competitive dancer takes a LOT of energy, and that can’t have been easy to manage on top of the pressure to perform well.

Colette has made such great progress in her self-confidence this season. She started out with the heavy burden of processing the fact that she was “partner dumped” and ended this final episode stating that she doesn’t need her old pro, she doesn’t even need Alex, her new pro – “I need to believe in myself and that’s it.” Another yes! As Colette’s confidence has grown as a dancer, she has also grown more comfortable and open to the idea of helping her son transition into a more independent lifestyle. Her journey is a beautiful example of how dance can positively impact other areas of our lives.

Sabrina and Leonie are both fiercely determined to win at Millennium. They’ve sacrificed time away from their children and the only acceptable trade-off to them is walking away with first place. Sabrina gets a boost (with a side of extra pressure?) when her husband Ronnie surprises her by showing up at the competition to see her dance. Either way, she’s clearly in the zone and holding nothing back on the dancefloor. Leonie acknowledges her personal progress, as she is not thrown off when Stas dances into her space on the floor. Being able to recover and adjust to interruptions to your dance flow is a valuable skill in itself.

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Final results:

1. Sabrina
2. Gaëlle
3. Leonie
4. Lindsey (pro-am dancer not part of Dancing Queens)
5. Tina (pro-am dancer not part of Dancing Queens)
6. Colette

I wasn’t surprised that Sabrina won. I loved seeing her husband start to understand what the big deal was as he watched her dance. Some of the other Dancing Queens ladies seemed to think her performances are over the top (pornographic and feral were two descriptors used), but personally, I think she’s just emulating the Latin professionals. The level of passion and expression she brings to the floor is outside the comfort zone of most pro-am dancers (including myself).

It seems Leonie’s 3rd place stung her a little, and she doesn’t hesitate to say that she’s a better dancer than Gaëlle in her interview. I wish we would have gotten to know Gaëlle better as a dancer because she became a character that seemed to be there strictly to start fires or stir up drama.

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In the prologue of the episode, we get a peek into what most of the ladies have been up to six months after Millennium. Donie has a new pro partner after Ilia moved out of New York City and seems to be living her best life and focusing on her joy. Leonie is no longer dancing with Koysta and reportedly searching for a new pro, while she focuses on her family. Sabrina also took some time to focus on her family, but now she’s back to dancing and taking 1st place at competitions. Colette continues to grow her confidence with Alex and work on helping her son take steps toward independence. Pooja switched back to Rhythm right after Millennium and is enjoying 1st places again. One has to wonder if the switch to Latin was purely for the show?

Despite the curated drama and scenes edited into sheer awkwardness, Dancing Queens provided a glimpse into the world of pro-am ballroom and highlighted many of the challenges that we all face on our dance journeys. It’s not an easy journey, but there is no doubt how highly rewarding the journey can be. Now the question is – will we get a Season 2?

As I wrap up my commentary on Dancing Queens, I’m curious to know – IF Bravo produces a second season, what would you like to see? More of Season 1’s ladies? A different aspect of the pro-am ballroom world? Please share in the comments!

Personally, I’m routing for an American Smooth season. Bravo, if you pay for all of our dance expenses, I’m sure I can put together a Smooth group for you. 😉

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Happy dancing!