11/11/2015
I wasn't sure where to post this, but I wanted to reach out to the UCSB ballroom dance community and let you all know that last night Sensei Ota passed away.
For those of you that don't know Sensei very well, this man was a major force behind the creation of the UCSB ballroom community and without his indomitable will, his passion for dance, and his love for teaching, many of us would never have come to learn and love being on the dance floor. For me, personally, Sensei was one of the biggest reasons I got into and still am dancing. He inspired me to lead, to not take no for an answer, and to dream of a life doing what I was passionate about.
Regardless of whether you knew him or not I hope that in reading these words you see, for yourselves, an example of an individual who lived his long, full life doing what he loved and are as inspired by his memory as I was his person. Thank you Sensei for all that you've done. We'll see each other on the dance floor again someday.
PC: Chris Lauw