SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club

Full Schedule of Dance Lessons Here in SaddleBrooke

Wanda Ross

It’s a new year, even a new decade, so a full schedule of classes starts again in January.

Cha Cha will be taught by Bob Osborne assisted by Dottie Adams. The most popular Latin dance, Cha Cha is a lively, fun dance. You can easily learn enough steps for the dance to be fun. This class will have two levels. Cha Cha 101 will start with beginning moves to learn basic steps and movement of the dance. Each class will progress so that you feel comfortable dancing the Cha Cha. This is a good class for those who are starting out new to dancing and also for those who haven’t danced it in a long time. The intermediate class is for those who already dance basic Cha Cha and want to progress into more dance patterns. Cha Cha music CDs will be distributed so you can practice on your own.

Dates for the Cha Cha dance classes have been changed due to Vermilion Room cancellations. Cha Cha dance classes now will be held on Saturdays, Jan. 4, 11, and 18 and Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the Vermilion Room at SaddleBrooke One. The beginner class is from 10-10:55 a.m. The intermediate class is from 11 a.m.-noon. To register, email Bob at [email protected] and indicate beginner or intermediate class. Cha Cha is a fun dance, come see for yourself.

Would you like to try a swing dance? Accomplished swing dancers Diana Durham and Lee Wille will be teaching beginning and intermediate East Coast Swing on Wednesday evenings in January. Diana is a certified DIVIDA Dance Instructor, and was named National Ballroom Dance Champion at the National Pro/Am DIVIDA Ballroom Dance Competition. East Coast Swing traces its roots to the original swing dance, Lindy Hop. This dance was created at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where the swing and jazz music of the big bands, such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Benny Goodman, was heard every night. Today we enjoy dancing East Coast Swing to sock hop music, rock and roll, jazz, and rhythm and blues tunes.

East Coast Swing dance classes will be held on Wednesdays, Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 in the Mariposa Room at the DesertView Performing Arts Center. The beginner class is from 6-7 p.m.; the intermediate class is from 7-8 p.m. To register, email Diana at [email protected] and indicate beginner or intermediate class or call her at 602-769-5463.

We are hugely fortunate in SaddleBrooke to have a large cadre of experienced dancers who volunteer their time to teach ballroom dancing. Lessons that would easily cost $60-$75 per hour at studios are free to members of the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club. How nice is that? Instructors for each class spend many hours determining how best to teach dancing for each level of instruction, choosing music that will enable learning, and practicing the dance moves in the way they will teach them. It is a labor of love, for the instructors know how fun and healthful ballroom dancing is for us.

Dance classes are offered year-round. You may attend one dance lesson without joining the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club. If you wish to continue taking additional classes, then join our club. All our dance classes are offered to men and women with or without partners and are free of charge. What a deal!

Upcoming classes are:

February

10 a.m. – American Rumba with Diana Durham and Lee Wille

6 p.m. – Night Club Two Step with Roger and Linda Shamburg

March

10 a.m. – Beginner West Coast Swing with Dave Poferl and Mary Borkovec

6 p.m. – Intermediate West Coast Swing with Brian Hand and Sheila Honey

April

10 a.m. – Bolero with Bob Osborne and Mary Borkovec

6 p.m. – Beginner New York Hustle with Phil Doyle.

2020 is Here, Celebrate with Dance Parties

Wanda Ross

How did we get to the year 2020 already? It seems not long ago that we turned our calendars to 2000, fortunately without Y2K concerns. It’s time to ring in the new decade so after the New Year’s celebrations, come dance with the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club.

Our next Ballroom Dance Party will be a New Orleans themed Masquerade Ball on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the MountainView Ballroom. Dress is resort casual and masks are optional, but oh, what fun this will be! Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. and dancing starts at 7 p.m.

The evening will start with a garden salad followed by a choice of entrees: shrimp etouffee served over rice, creole-style chicken gumbo, or vegetarian blue corn tamales with beans and rice. This menu will make us feel like we’re in New Orleans. The meal will end with red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Our popular Club DJ will be Sheila Honey who will provide a nice range of music for dancing. No promises but she’s likely to play cha cha, swing, and even some Western music in addition to classic ballroom tunes. Practice what you’re learning in dance lessons or simply come for the fun of dancing – and the healthful benefits of dancing. Reservations are required. Tickets for this event are only $30 for club members, $40 for guests. Contact Dottie Adams at [email protected] for a registration form.

Our next monthly Dine and Dance Party will be on Thursday, Feb. 6 at SaddleBrooke One. We start with dinner at the Vistas Dining Room then dance in the adjoining Vermilion Room. You can come dance with us or simply come for dinner and watch the dancing. It just might inspire you! Thursdays are Burger Nights so reservations are required if you wish to be seated near the dance floor with our group. Dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.; we usually start dancing about 6 p.m. To reserve a seat, contact Rick Baumgartner at [email protected].

Future Dance Parties will be a Champagne Brunch on Sunday, March 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and our annual Ballroom Dance Gala on Saturday, April 4 (the week before Easter) from 5-9 p.m. First Thursday Dine and Dance Parties will be on Thursday, March 5 and Thursday, April 2. TGIF Fridays return on Friday, April 17 from 3-5 p.m. Mark your calendars to reserve those dates.

Guests are welcome to attend our Dinner Dances but since the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club is so much fun with so many parties, why not join? For information about dance parties, lessons, membership, and more, go to our club website at www.sbballroomdance.com.