From Swing To Salsa To The Waltz And Cha-Cha, The Ballroom Company Has It All
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
Experienced ballroom dancers would say that the hardest step you ever take is the one to get you through the door.
“I’m not saying ballroom dancing isn’t hard, but when you’re involved here, it just opens a lot of unexpected doors,” said Jacki Myrice, president and owner of The Ballroom Company in Maumee.
From swing to salsa to the waltz and cha-cha, more and more dancers are flocking to the studio, proving that ballroom dance is no longer a frumpy recreational activity for “blue hairs,” said Myrice, who noted she got hooked on it with her brother at age 14.
“We knew it was cool before the rest of the world knew it was cool,” she laughed.
In 1993 Myrice opened her business to fulfill a passion for something she considered a part-time hobby.
Dance movies and the hit television show Dancing with the Stars altered the perception of ballroom dance and elevated it to a whole new level.
“That took business from a slow-growing, part-time hobby to a full-blown business,” she said.
Myrice and four other dance teachers at the studio offer instruction in 18 different types of ballroom dance.
The studio offers both private and group lessons, and each Friday is an open dance night when group lessons are offered for anyone interested in trying a class.
Allison Smith of Maumee said a friend prompted her to try ballroom dance.
A 2007 graduate of Maumee High School, Smith now attends The University of Toledo, where she belongs to a ballroom dance club on campus.
“This is a great experience and it’s something different,” she said.
For more than a year she’s been taking private lessons at The Ballroom Company to help her improve.
“This is so much fun and the people here are so nice,” Smith said.
According to Myrice, there are a number of different venues that offer ballroom dance opportunities such as Tango’s, The University of Toledo or the Eagles.
“The perception is that there is nowhere to dance, but once you’re involved there are a lot of places to go and the bonus is the friendships you make,” she said. “Some people find a band they enjoy and follow them around.”
Hundreds of clients from high school students to senior citizens participate each week, and some students travel and compete on various ballroom dance competition circuits.
“I really like it,” said Ron Smolinski, a salon owner who became hooked on dance 10 years ago. He began traveling and now competes regularly.
“I like the challenge of going out there, and I’ve made a lot of good friends that I see regularly,” he said.
Special shoes aren’t required, and according to Myrice, single dancers will be paired with a dance partner – either an instructor or experienced student.
Many participants enjoy the benefits of better health, and while you don’t have to come with a partner, many couples enjoy the time they have to dance together.
“Jackie is an excellent teacher. She’s very patient and that’s why we keep coming back,” said Bernice Young, who has been taking private lessons with her husband David for 10 years.
Bernice said she and her husband, who are both retired, enjoy the partnership dance offers.
“We entered a dance contest on a cruise and won,” she said.
The Ballroom Dance Company is located at 2319 S. Detroit Ave. in Maumee, and a second studio recently opened in Findlay.
For class and studio information, call (419) 893-1850 or visit www.theballroomco.com.