Monday, May 22, 2017
Dancers young and old kick up their heels
YOUNGSTOWN
Enthusiastic ballroom dancers, ranging from teens to senior citizens, literally put on their dancing shoes and enjoyed cha cha lessons at Sunday’s meeting of USA Dance’s Youngstown-Warren Chapter.
All of the participants, men and women, wear special dancing shoes with suede bottoms, said JoAnne Pacurar of Austintown, who started the area USA Dance Club 15 years ago.
The Youngstown-Warren Chapter 2015 usually meets the third Sunday of the month, from 5 to 9 p.m., at the Orthodox Center on North Belle Vista Avenue.
Dance-club meetings provide lessons for beginning and intermediate dancers from 5 to 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., respectively, in various ballroom dances, said Steve Barba of Austintown, disc jockey for the event.
Barba and Susan Ryan of Newton Falls, president of Chapter 2015, are dance partners who participate as an amateur couple in competitions.
“I think it’s a physically healthy sport, but the biggest benefit is mental. It’s an escape. You only hear the music and dance,” she said.
Ryan did not start dancing until she was nearly 50. Now, not that many years later, she said it has become the highlight of her week.
Longtime certified dance instructor Lynda of Boardman, who recently opened A Time To Dance studio in the Pine Tree Plaza in McKinley Heights, agrees that dancing provides health and physical benefits for almost anybody. For example, in addition to traditional dance students, she is working with kids with disabilities in her studio.
Janet Moore, 52, of Boardman and Skip Lammers of Austintown, who said his age is “old,” stopped dancing long enough to talk about what draws them to the hobby.
Moore, who just began ballroom dancing in February, said she has always enjoyed solo dancing, such as tap and jazz, but wanted to partner dance.
“I enjoy it immensely and go dancing four times a week. I was pleasantly surprised by the opportunities for ballroom dancing available in the area. It’s a family,” Moore said.
Lammers, who said he has been dancing off and on for about 50 years, said it is fantastic exercise and a great way to meet a lot of nice people.
Leaders of the USA Dance Youngstown-Warren Chapter say ballroom dancing is alive and well, and the 40-50 dancers at Sunday’s meeting, including some young people, back up their contention.
In attendance were a young couple from the Youngstown State University Ballroom Dance Club and dance partners, Angeleena Wheatley, 16, of Austintown, and Andrew Asher, 18, of Poland, both in training to become certified dance instructors.
Asher, who participated in track and cross country at Springfield High School, has been dancing for about seven months; and Wheatley, a seven-year ballroom dancing veteran, are preparing for their first competition in the near future.
“I want to build a career of ballroom dance performance and teaching,” she said.
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