National champion dancers to judge dancing classrooms competition in Federal Way on Saturday

From staff reports

Erik Linder and Rickie Taylor, both 15 and both world champion ballroom dancers, will judge the Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbows competition in Federal Way on Saturday, March 19.

The Colors of the Rainbow competition is the pinnacle of the Dancing Classrooms experience, where participating schools send six couples to represent their school and engage in friendly competition with other Puget Sound schools. Dancing Classrooms is a Social and Emotional Learning program designed to break down social barriers and instill confidence in children using the vehicle of ballroom dance.

The Colors of the Rainbow event is open to the public and will include two sessions with 10 local schools at Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way. The first session begins at 10 a.m. and features Black Diamond, Franklin, Green Gables, Issaquah Valley and Wildwood elementary schools. The second session begins at 2 p.m. with Mountain Meadow, Parkside, Purdy Wildwood, Sunrise and Terminal Park elementary schools.

The Colors of the Rainbow competition will also feature a performing team from Pacific Ballroom Dance, involving several Federal Way residents ages 13 to 18, as well as a floor show by Linder and Taylor.

Linder and Taylor, who will be judging at the event, were named National Champions at the U.S. National Amateur DanceSport Championships in Provo, Utah, on Saturday, in addition to their world championship title. The pais has many prestigious titles and awards at their young age. Together they were world champions in 2014 at the International Standard Championships in Paris. Other credentials include dancing on the USA World Team and dancing as finalists at the Blackpool Dance Festival in Blackpool, England. They have appeared on “Dancing with the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”