Jul 03, 2009  |  By: Joe Rendeiro  | COMMENTS     

Gay and lesbian activists were up in arms when “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Nigel Lythgoe slammed a same-sex samba by a pair of male contestants on his blog after the season premier last May.

“The same-sex ballroom guys did remind me of ‘Blades of Glory,’” Lythgoe wrote. “How-ever, I’m not a fan of Brokeback ballroom.”

While mainstream dance shows stay stuck in tradition, clubs around the country are seeing a little more variety on the dance floor.

“We don’t care who you dance with. Just dance,” says Jim Chakeres, a member of the Columbus Stompers, an LGBT country western dance club for Ohioans.

Chakeres also is the convention director for the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs, which hosts its 16th annual convention in the District today through Sunday. Gay and lesbian dancers from across the country, as well as Canada and Europe, will descend on Washington for a weekend filled with hoe downs, line dances and cowboy hats.

“It’s just fun to get out there on the floor,” says Bruce Townsend, vice chair of the Association. “Plus, we’re cowboys and cowgirls, so we’re fun to talk to.” 

Appropriately themed “Stomps and Stripes Forever,” the convention coincides with Independence Day, which Chakeres says has many participants excited.

“I think it’s something our people are looking forward to,” he says. “It definitely adds a little extra flavor and excitement to the weekend. People are looking forward to watching the fireworks.”

And they’ll be just a few steps from the National Mall at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, located at 400 New Jersey Ave., N.W. 

Capital Country Dance Club, D.C.’s hometown club, will be helping.

“I think we like to expose folks from around the world to different prominent locations,” Chakeres says. “The affiliate club certainly helps provide local flavor and will help show off Washington, which is such a vibrant city.”

The convention itself offers a variety of activities for participants including dance workshops, exhibitions and the dance competitions. It also encompasses a variety of dance styles including line dancing, two-step, waltz, cha-cha and swing.

“It’s everything from beginner to advanced,” Townsend says. “People who have been dancing for 20 years realize that there are still new things to learn.”

Chakeres agrees.

“I know several people who look forward to the classes and are excited to learn the different dances,” he says. “We provide something different for everybody. That’s what it’s all about.”

The dance competition consists of three components; a line dancing competition for singles, a couples competition, which features a variety of dance styles; and a teams competition.

Townsend, who competes with Ricochet, a Ft. Lauderdale-based team, says a lot of preparation goes into perfecting the routine.

“Rehearsal is pretty intense,” Townsend says. “It can be three to four hours long, especially as we get closer to the competition. You get pretty tired after three hours of practice.”

But he says seven months of practice pays off.

“After all that work, you get in front of the judges who really appreciate the dance, the technical difficulty and all that energy smushed into six-and-a-half minutes,” Townsend says. “It’s just exhilarating. Of course, it’s even better when you get that first place trophy.”

Chakeres says the people make the convention worthwhile.

“I’m looking forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen in a long time and reconnecting with everybody,” he says. “We’re going to enjoy doing what we do, with other people who do as well.”

Both men encourage everybody to step into a pair of cowboy boots and join the convention, regardless of whether they are associated with a team.

“It probably is something most gays and lesbians don’t realize exists unless they have a local club that’s very active,” Townsend says.

But the organization is large and country western dancing has a big gay and lesbian following on the East Coast.

“We encompass 33 member clubs from around the world and that translates into about 3500 members,” Townsend says. “It’s huge in Europe. … We’re there around the world.”

This year, the convention is expected to draw close to 500 guests and will benefit the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and two local charities, the Mautner Project, which supports lesbian, bisexual and transgender women with cancer, and Brother, Help Thyself, a nonprofit that helps LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities in Baltimore and Washington.  

“Everybody does their part and pitches in at the national and local level,” Chakeres says. “We’d love to have everybody come out and join us.”