Jason Dai, of Uniondale, helped bring an international ballroom dance competition to his hometown last Saturday, drawing more than 500 dancers and spectators to the Long Island Marriott.
Dai, who is originally from Shanghai, partnered with fellow organizer Roman Nabatov — originally from Moscow but now a resident of New Jersey — to bring the competition to Long Island from Connecticut last year. That was when Nabatov hired Dai as a partner, and he gives credit to his wife, Julia Nabatov who also co-organizes.
The event, the Royal DanceSport Challenge, featured professional and amateur dancers competing in a variety of ballroom styles, including an international team match between the United States and Canada.
“Ever since Roman asked me to be partner with him on this competition, my ultimate dream is one day that we grow this competition big enough that we can move next door,” Dai said, “which is the Nassau Coliseum.
I drive past the hotel every single day,” Dai added. “Sometimes when I drive by, my son will say, ‘Oh, Daddy, that’s our competition.’”
The event operates under the auspices of the National Dance Council of America, which oversees and sanctions ballroom events across the country. The competition also had a personal dimension for Dai, whose children — students at Academy Charter School — took part.
His son, Feiandi, 6, and daughter Yilinka, 8, both competed in youth age divisions. Feiandi danced with partner Olivia Cao in the ballroom category, and the pair took first place across all five dances. He also competed in Latin events, where he placed second overall. Yilinka partnered with her brother in a Latin division, and they earned a second-place finish.
“I liked that I won second place. I also liked that my friends came to watch me dance,” Yilinka said. She also praised her father for organizing the competition.
Feiandi said he was proud that his teachers from Academy Charter School came to watch him dance. “I liked the dances and also the team matches.”
Nabatov said his daughter,13, did not compete this year, but helped guide younger participants during the event.
The choice to relocate the competition to Uniondale was a strategic one. With no comparable ballroom competition on Long Island, Dai and Nabatov saw an opportunity to tap into a sizable but underserved dance community.
“I visited over 30 studios in New York City — there is a huge community,” Dai said. “I believe this could be a tremendous growth ahead of us.”
“It did change tremendously,” Nabatov added. “We made the ballroom more beautiful and more modernized.” The move allowed organizers to upgrade the event’s production, adding more lighting, screens and other enhancements to create a more modern and grander atmosphere for competitors.
This year’s program included an international team match between the United States and Canada, with 21 teams on each side. The format of cumulative scoring by the judges created a high-energy atmosphere that organizers described as one of the event’s highlights. In previous years, the competition featured teams representing other countries as well, including Ukraine. This year, the U.S. came on top for the international team match.
Beyond elite competition, the event also emphasized community inclusion. A standout moment featured a performance by a group of children ages 8 to 11 with special needs, making it clear that ballroom dancing extends beyond competition into personal expression and accessibility.
Participants ranged widely in age from 5 to seniors in their 80s, highlighting dancing’s broad appeal. Many competitors were students partnering with professional instructors, while others represented their home countries or trained at studios across the region.
