Bob Osborne and Denis Greenland
Tom Marshall
Is it difficult being a single member of our Ballroom Dance Club, which is mostly couples? In this continuation of the article on singles, we hear from two men in our club.
Denis Greenland grew up in the Philadelphia area, but he began dancing to music by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. “We did dances like the Twist, the Stomp, and the Mashed Potato. On weekends, we congregated at a popular local night spot, the Boulevard Ballroom, where there was a DJ who played all the latest rock and roll music. It was a meeting place for teens from a wide cross-section of Philadelphia neighborhoods.”
When Denis arrived in SaddleBrooke, he joined the Latin Rhythm and Western Pattern Dance Clubs, and later he joined the Ballroom Dance and Argentine Tango Clubs, so he found himself taking as many as five classes a week. At the Ballroom Dance Club, Denis learned the waltz, foxtrot, and the east coast and west coast swing. After attending numerous classes, Denis says, “We’re very lucky now to have Dale and Ann Pizzitola as our dance instructors.”
Denis belongs to several SaddleBrooke clubs, including the Skygazers, the Amateur Radio Club, the Hiking Club, the Nature Club, and the Community Circle Players. He also likes making silver jewelry in the Lapidary Club.
When Bob Osborne got married, his wife asked him to take ballroom dance lessons, and since he’d always enjoyed dancing, he quickly acquiesced. “I thought it would be a good pastime for both of us, because it provides physical, mental, and social stimulation.” Bob has danced at a variety of social dance studios and clubs in Tucson and sometimes finds himself dancing with women who are taller than he is. “My partner and I enjoy the challenge of differing heights, and some people get a chuckle out of this,” he says with a smile.
Bob thinks dance “mixers” are a good idea, because men learn to lead better with dancers other than their regular partners and, conversely, women learn to follow better with different partners. “Having a singles table at our dances was Dale and Ann’s idea, and it encourages men to invite single women seated at the table to dance.”
Besides dancing, which is his favorite activity, Bob also swims and listens to all kinds of music and keeps track of the ups and downs of the stock market.