Joerg Schlatter and Sarah Murray, two members of the Greater New York Chapter of USA Dance, participated in the "Dancing with Brides" contest held in New York City on May 16. They are one of four local finalists who have the chance to dance in the Grand Finals in October, with a shot at the $10,000 Grand Prize. You can see their video profile on the "Dancing with Brides" website and cast your vote to send them on to the Grand Finals in October. In the meantime, our own Patricia Applegate caught up with the happy couple to find out more about their experience on "Dancing with Brides," their upcoming wedding and how they met.

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Interview by Patricia Applegate

Q. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding; when is the big day?

A. Thanks! We're getting married on December 28th, 2009.

Q. You are currently finalists in the Dancing with Brides contest. Can you tell us a bit about this competition?

A. There were three competitions held - one in Dallas, one in Chicago, and one in New York. Basically, all couples were given a lesson in American style foxtrot and then given some time to practice. The couples then danced the moves that they had learned in the lesson during the competition. There was a first round where judges chose the top ten couples who then went on to dance in the final round. Four couples were chosen from the final round by the judges. Those four couples from each city now have bios and videos up online that you can check out at www.dancingwithbrides.com. Now, people can rate couples online. Until July 8th, everyone can vote and rate every 24 hours for one New York, one Dallas, and one Chicago couple. The three couples with the most votes/highest rating will be given a routine and will compete with their routine in the fall. That competition will be broadcast, but the broadcast details have yet to be finalized. The couple who places first among the top three couples will win $10,000 for their wedding.

Q. Do you have a specially choreographed dance to a specific song planned for your wedding day? Considering your friends and family know you dance, do you feel more pressure to perform something extraordinary?

A. No, we do not have a specially choreographed dance for our wedding day. We really enjoy dancing, and we want out wedding dance to be somewhat spontaneous and not choreographed. We do not feel too much pressure. Our friends and family know that dancing is something that we do for fun and something that connects us. They do not expect a fantastic show at our wedding…they just expect to see us dancing as we would do normally.

Q. What advice would you give to other wedding couples who wish to create a special dance for their wedding day?

A. Do take a couple of lesson to figure out your style. Don't take yourselves too seriously - dancing is fun! For us, there is nothing better to watch than a couple having a great time dancing together, even if their steps are not necessarily perfect.

Q. The story goes that you met each other on the dance floor- what drew you most to each other?

A. We immediately had chemistry.

Joerg: Sarah had a beautiful smile, and, when we danced, each step worked.

Sarah: From the first time we danced together in class, we spoke the same language. I had never really done ballroom dancing before, but I knew exactly what Joerg was leading when I danced with him. I took that as a sign.

Q. What do you do in your regular, non-dance life?

Joerg: I am a researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein). I look at RNA dynamics and structure which have implications to many diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

Sarah: I am a student at Einstein, and I am doing research on Alzheimer's disease.

Q. Congratulations on placing 2nd in Bronze at Nationals. How was that experience? Did you compete in Latin or Standard?

A. Placing 2nd was surreal. We really did not expect to place - we were so excited! We competed in Standard. Standard is much more natural for us to dance, but we are working on Latin as well.

Q. Did either of you have dance training before studying ballroom? What inspired you to try ballroom dancing?

Joerg: In Germany, it is tradition that thirteen to fourteen year old pupils take some basic ballroom dance lessons, so I had done that. I did not have any other experience with other types of dancing. The first week that I moved to the States, I met another researcher who asked if I would like to go to a ballroom dance lesson. I wanted to meet people and thought it would be fun, so I went. Then I met Sarah, and we just kept going.

Sarah: I took ballet and jazz off and on from the time I was four years old all the way through high school. I stopped doing that kind of dancing when I went to college. I saw a flier for ballroom dancing lessons and thought it would be a good way to get back into dancing and to learn something new.

Q. How do you balance work, wedding planning, and dancing? How many hours a week do you devote to lessons and practice?

A. It is a balancing act, that's for sure. We try to focus on the task at hand, whether it is working, wedding planning, or dancing and not let the other things in our lives distract us during that moment. Setting aside times to focus on each specific aspect of your life really helps, and you do not feel rushed or overwhelmed that way. As for hours spent practicing, it really depends. We spend anywhere from two to five hours per week dancing, depending on what we have going on that week.

Q. What has dance taught you about your relationship and do you think dancing together will strengthen your marriage?

A. Dancing will definitely strengthen our marriage. It is so great to have a hobby that you can share with your significant other, and dancing is something we can do together for the rest of our lives. Dancing has taught us that we can rely on and trust one another. It has also taught each of us how to motivate the other one and really strengthened our communication skills.

Q. Thanks!! When will you know if you won the contest?

A. Thank you! We'll know if we made it into the top three in mid- to late July.