Introduction to Ballroom: East Coast Swing and Foxtrot

Judy Saks

The SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club (SBDC) is excited to announce its Introduction to Ballroom classes (previously Novice). These classes are specifically designed for those who have never danced ballroom or those looking for a refresher on the basics of ballroom dance.

Dances to be featured in November are east coast swing and foxtrot. East coast swing is a lively and energetic dance that, as the name implies, originated on the east coast of the United States. It was developed in dance studios in the 1940s and is based on the Lindy Hop. Dancers move in an upbeat and bouncy way when the music is fast. When the music is slower, more relaxed steps are used, making this a versatile and popular dance at all social events.

The foxtrot originated in the United States around 1914. It was named after Harry Fox, a vaudeville entertainer who developed a style of trotting to ragtime music. It is a graceful dance using long, walking steps and short, quick steps where the dancers seem to glide across the floor. Our resident professional instructors Ann and Dale Pizzitola teach dance steps with a method that is easy to learn. They are extremely patient and know how to encourage progress. You are sure to come away with a good foundation for your continued ballroom dancing journey!

Classes are held on the first and second Wednesdays of the month at 4 p.m. in the Mariposa Room at DesertView starting Nov. 5. There will also be a review session on Nov. 26 to practice what you have learned, also in the Mariposa Room at 4 p.m. Classes are free, no prior dance experience is required, and you do not need to be a member of the club to attend. To register, email countmein@sbballroomdance.com with your name and the classes you wish to attend.

Intermediate and Intermediate Plus Level

Also in November, the Viennese waltz will be taught by Ann and Dale. We offer classes for those who want something more than introductory patterns, as well as for those who have been dancing for quite some time, with your choice of two intermediate level classes: Intermediate and Intermediate Plus. Both classes are offered on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday evenings, starting on Sunday, Nov. 2. These classes are free for club members; however, registration is required, so please sign up online.

Please check out our website sbballroomdance.com to see all upcoming classes and events. No matter what “level” of dancer you are, there is a place for you in the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club. Remember, SBDC is where the learning continues and the fun never ends!

Dancers in the Spotlight: The Gentiles

Tom Marshall

Pat and Rob Gentile, new members of the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club, have known each other for 67 years and have been married for 56 years. They grew up in the same small town near Philadelphia. Throughout junior and senior high, they danced on a roller skate rink to a local band and tried to copy the latest dance moves from American Bandstand. Rob recalls, “We did the Fly, the Boogaloo, and the Mashed Potato.” Later, they dated at Penn State, but Pat points out, half-jokingly, “I wouldn’t have dated and continued to date Rob unless he knew how to dance.”

Rob served during the Vietnam era as a Signal Corp officer and spent 20 years in the Army where he studied to be an optometrist, and he served in that capacity for 16 years. They moved around a lot, including two tours of duty in Germany, but once they got back to the States, Pat and Rob settled in San Antonio where Pat followed her passion for dance by becoming an instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studios. “I would put together country western dances for singles on a Friday night, but no one wanted to buy the package deals, which would have provided a commission.” Shortly thereafter, Pat found more lucrative work as a professional career counselor.

While living in San Diego for 30 years, Pat and Rob pursued their other passion—gourmet cooking and dining. They began hosting a gourmet dining club, asking couples to bring a dish to share, but they soon found that not everything brought to share was homemade. It quickly became a social dining club. Once, for a chili cook-off, Pat prepared a kangaroo chili with a white sauce and an alligator chili with a mushroom sauce. The owner and manager of a Chili’s restaurant presided over the judging.

For seven years prior to retirement, the Gentiles scoped out various communities in California and Arizona before renting for two summers in SaddleBrooke. “Our chief criterion,” explains Rob, “was it had to have a variety of established dance clubs.” Pat comments, “We were thrilled to be building a new home in SaddleBrooke where I could take a dance class every day if I wanted to and participate in a variety of other clubs.”

Their favorite dances? Pat loves the cha cha cha, and Rob loves the rumba and the east coast swing. Last year they cruised around the world on a Regent Line ship and danced every night on a small dance floor to a quintet playing jazz standards like Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.” It’s safe to say the love of dance has been, and will continue to be, the Gentiles’ standard for living life to its fullest.