Alina Blakesley of Boothbay Harbor recently returned to the dance floor for her seventh ballroom dance competition at the Eastern Dancesport Championships in Boston. Competing at the silver level, she came first in quickstep and second in tango, waltz, and foxtrot.

Alina plans to fulfill her long-held dream to compete in Blackpool, England for her 70th birthday. The Blackpool ballroom dance championships are held in May at the historic Empress ballroom where ballroom dancing first began and draws international competitors from Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and even Boothbay Harbor and is like the Olympics of ballroom dancing. Alina will be competing at the silver level in waltz, foxtrot, tango and quickstep.