One minute, John Piper was introducing himself to Cheryl Holder. The next, the two were sweating on the dance floor, pulling off moves like seasoned partners.
Such was the dynamic with Sunday night's Northern California Swing Dance Challenge, a "Jack and Jill"-style competition in which dancers are paired randomly and compete to move on.
"It's exciting," David Tune of San Rafael said about pairing up with a new person. "You start with the basics to get a feel for the connection and their dance style and then take it from there."
Daniel Guido of Santa Rosa likens it to striking up a chat with a stranger.
"It's like a conversation for me — you just get a feel for your partner," he said.
Scores of dancers, from beginners to full-fledged back-tilting, deep-dipping experts, hit the dance floor at Kodiak Jack's in Petaluma for the finals of the swing dance challenge that began a month ago at venues around Northern California.
It had plenty of the elements of an athletic competition — participant numbers pinned on shirts, shoe changes, uniform adjustments and plenty of sweat.
Music ranged from Black Eyed Peas to Eric Clapton, but the dance floor remained packed as strangers asked for warm-up dances and twirls across the floor.
For most dancers, the camaraderie and chance to dance with like-minded folks was the big draw.
Piper of Chico and Holder of Sacramento were paired up early on in the competition, and Holder added a flourish to a basic move that elicited a big smile and "Nice" from her brand-new partner.
"It made me look good even though I didn't do it. As a leader you can't appreciate anything more than that," Piper said.
Judge Nicholas King said seeing dancers have fun is part of what assessors look for when sending someone on to the next round.
"The whole goal is to give your partner a good dance," he said.
Guido, who won a competition in Novato to advance to Sunday's finals, said he's been dancing for six years but latched onto West Coast swing a year ago.
"I love it. I love the people, I love the music and the athletic aspect," he said. "It's a great community."
Results of the competition were unavailable late Sunday night.
Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: