The Jacksonville Star Ball 2024 was held on October 5, 2024 at the beautiful Renaissance Resort World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The event was hosted and organized by the esteemed Sarwat Kaluby. It celebrated the vibrant community that thrives within the world of ballroom dance.
This year was special with so many great dancers and new dance categories added. The energy was high with dancers waiting to get on the floor and audiences ready to be wowed.
Congratulations to Lili Hancock for placing first in the Closed Bronze 3-Dance Championship out of eight strong couples and also for winning the Open 4-Dance Scholarship. Congratulations also to Marcia Slott, gold medalist in the Open 5-Dance American Rhythm Scholarship, and to Anja Stief, gold medalist in the Closed Bronze 3-Dance American Rhythm Championship. These are some of the participants who received awards; others not mentioned here also excelled in different categories.
The event was filled with standout performances. The morning began with American Smooth dances, where an amazing junior ballroom couple, Ilya Shklyaryk and Emma Stein, truly stood out. A crowd favorite—the "YMCA"—had everyone singing and dancing along. What a great event!
The day was made even more special with professional performances by Anthony Kantin & Olivia Card and Renzo Zegara & Andrea Huapaya.
Melanie Sandvig expressed her amazement and gratitude for the event, giving special thanks to the organizer, Sarwat Kaluby:
"Such a fantastic day at Jacksonville Star Ball yesterday! I always look forward to this event- such a fun and friendly atmosphere and great energy in the ballroom from start to finish 🤩 Congratulations to Mr. Sarwat Kaluby and your stellar team for another great event 🫶🏻 Thank you for inviting me to adjudicate and teach a workshop, I had a blast !"
— Adjudicator, Melanie Sandvig
Looking Forward to the Next Chapter
Don't Miss Next Year's Jacksonville Star Ball! Make the next Jacksonville Star Ball an event to remember.
For highlights and updates on future events, visit the official website at www.jacksonvillestarball.com.