Stephen and Ruth Birkhead
Way back at the turn of the century Ross Stephen gathered several people together to form the first Ballroom Dance Club in SaddleBrooke. From that beginning SaddleBrooke ballroom dancers now have two clubs which have a combined membership of over 100 people. The two clubs are somewhat like fraternal twins – same genesis but different faces.
The Let’s Dance Club is the youngest twin. It was formed in 2011 to provide opportunities for beginning dancers to learn in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere. Each month from September to June dance lessons are offered by experienced dancers who are also members of the club. As more and more people have progressed beyond the very beginning dance steps, classes have been added to teach at the intermediate level. During the first months of 2016, lessons included cha cha, hustle, salsa, fox trot and swing. There is still time to register for fox trot or swing. The other three classes have been filled to capacity. Lessons are free to members of the club. A yearly club event is a semi-formal dinner dance scheduled this year on April 23.
In addition to these classes the Let’s Dance Club sponsors a series of workshops taught by the award-winning professional dance instructor Alan Daughenbaugh accompanied by his dance partner Leslie Eisele. These workshops generally take place in January and February. More information about the Let’s Dance Club and the schedule of classes and events is available at [email protected] or 825-5401.
The eldest of these fraternal twins is the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club (SBDC). This busy club provides several ballroom dance opportunities each month: Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the SaddleBrooke Clubhouse and Sunday afternoons 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the MountainView Clubhouse. The club also sponsors a dance with an optional dinner on the first Thursday of the month at the SaddleBrooke Clubhouse. Dancing begins at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is ordered from the menu of the Vistas Dining Room. These events are open to all. In addition the SBDC sponsors five dinner dances each year. These dances are open to members. The last dance of the year will be March 18. The SBDC issues an email schedule of events regularly. To receive the email or to learn more about the SBDC contact Steve Holdener at [email protected].
The combined clubs have sponsored a Dance-a-Thon the past two years. At this popular event dancers from other SaddleBrooke dance groups have been invited to attend. These groups have included Western Partners, SaddleBrooke Line Dance Club, Argentine Tango group and Latin Rhythm Dance Club.
The Let’s Dance Club and SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club have a combined membership fee of $10 per person per year. Membership gives you access to the activities of both clubs. Updated information is available on our Facebook page – Let’s Dance Club of SaddleBrooke.