Family waltzes to wins

By Rebecca Fraser
THEY may not dance with the stars but the Scerri children of Berwick are making a strong impression on the Australian ballroom scene.
The four children, aged nine to 16, recently blitzed the Australian Dancesport Championships in Melbourne much to the delight of their mother and ballroom dance enthusiast Debbie Shillam.
Stephanie Scerri, 16, and partner Simon Simoudis, 17, danced in Youth Level Three and Open Latin.
They won their level three Latin final and made the second round of the Open Latin competition.
They have been dancing together for about 10 weeks.
Ms Shillam said the pair had only been partners for a short time and this made their big win really outstanding.
Adam Scerri, 14, and partner Marianna Boin danced in Junior Level Two and Three and made their finals in level two Modern and Level Three New Vogue where they placed second for Modern and third for New Vogue.
They have been competing together for 15 months.
Brother and sister pair Jason, 12, and Leeza, 9, competed in Juvenile Level One and made all of their finals, gaining a sixth place for Modern, fourth for New Vogue and a fifth for Latin.
This has been their first year as a registered couple in competition.
The children attend Berwick’s Kambrya College and Hallam Valley Primary School and practice three to four times a week at Studio 2 in Dandenong.
Ms Shillam said all the driving, grooming, practice and sewing that went into each competition was well worth it.
She took up dancing at the age of 15 and, with husband Allan, has also danced competitively.
“I sew them, glue them and diamante them and make heaps of costumes, absolutely heaps,” she said.
“They practice three or four times a week so they are also driven all over the place.
“But the sense of personal achievement they feel makes it all worth it and I love watching their faces when they win and do well.
“Their wins have not hit home yet but we are really proud.”
Ms Shillam said some of the children already had plans to dance professionally and overseas.
The family always tunes into Channel 7’s Dancing with the Stars, which Ms Shillam said had made ballroom dancing more popular.
She said the family knew many people involved in the top-rating show and with a bit of hope and luck it would be great to see one or all of the children involved in a program like that in the future.